The Long Weekend
by Frog-kun
Summary: Marle is having a very long weekend. Novelization of CT through Marle's POV. MarleCrono pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Long ago, millions of years before the kingdom of Guardia, an extra-terrestrial called "Lavos" invaded the earth. Ever since, it has been sucking out the energy of the planet and breeding its young ones, ready to take on the rest of the universe. In less than 1000 years, Guardia will be extinguished and its people annihilated. The dimensions of space and time will be thrown out of order and the cogs of time itself will cease to turn...

**Chapter 1 Nadia Guardia - Tomboy Princess**

Hello! My name is Princess Nadia! I'm sure you've heard of me from somewhere. After all, in this land of Guardia I am famous! Or infamous. Or notorious. In short, everyone knows who I am. I'm absolutely certain people talk about me on the streets, about the way I disregard my father and act like a tomboy. Being a princess isn't always that great, especially if you've got an overprotective father. King Guardia XXXIII never lets me go anywhere without supervision which is no fun at all. That's why I didn't really know what it's like in the big, wide world, until the day I snuck out of the castle and posed as a servant so I could see the massive carnival in Truce Village first-hand.

Before I tell you about my big adventure, let me tell you about how I thought about sneaking out. It's a long story, but we'll get through it because you should understand.

I'd better start on a general topic. The year was 1000 AD and everyone in Guardia was looking forward to the Millennial Fair, which was to symbolize the 1000th anniversary of the kingdom. Guardia is located on the top part of the continent and includes the village of Truce. Also, there is a remote island called Choras that is part of the realm. Choras harbours some famous carpenters and there's also rumoured to be a ghost in the ruins north of Kitsune Forest, although I've never seen such a thing myself. Guardia is linked to a country called Porre by an ancient bridge named Zenan. Porre is a military country, but Guardia has been on good terms with it since the Mystic Wars in 600 AD, when the two nations banded together to drive off a common enemy, known as the mystics. They were once a powerful demi-human minority, but since the war, all mystics have been banished to a single colony on the eastern continent known as Medina. Another geographical point on the known world is the desert region of Regiorra. There was once a time, father used to tell me, that Regiorra was a thriving land filled with trees and forests, but it's obvious that it's no more.

Myself, I lived in Guardia Castle. It's located on a sheer cliff, surrounded by the ancient trees of Guardia Forest. Just about anyone from ground level can look up at the 1000-year old monument and appreciate its regal quality. Besides, the castle has a natural advantage, surrounded by trees and on the cliffs; it would be hard to conquer.

Anyway, now we'd better move on. A few months before the Millennial Fair commenced I managed to talk father into letting me come on a voyage with him to Choras. The truth was: I had never been that far from home before. On that voyage I met a girl named Prudence, who became my first real friend. Father didn't approve of me having friends with the servants so I kept my friendship with Prudence secret. She said that on the Millennial Fair she had plans to try all the rides, games and food. I thought perhaps I would like to see this fair. I asked father if I could come.

He said NO.

'You mustn't mix with the common people!' he said crossly. 'Imagine the amount of vagabonds and pickpockets going to the fair. Perhaps there are some terrorists waiting to take you hostage.'

'Relax, father,' I said. 'You have to make everything so dramatic.'

Father growled. 'I said no and that's final!'

Devastated, I reported this to Prudence. She thought I should still go, even though father had a point.

'There really will be a lot of criminal activity in the fair, with so many people there,' she said. 'That's why you'll need to learn self-defence.'

'Really?' I said.

Prudence nodded. 'Yeah.' She thought for a moment. 'What about the crossbow? I've got an old one somewhere and my uncle taught me how to use it.'

And from then on, I practised day in day out with the guards, getting my aim good with my new weapon. That's where my reputation as a tomboy started. The Chancellor asked me why I should be doing this. I replied that I must be able to defend myself so I wouldn't be a burden in a crisis. The Chancellor looked at me as if he were sure that wasn't the whole story. Anyway, the crossbow was hard. At first it took no less than two whole minutes to load and aim it at a random target, but gradually my speed increased. Prudence told me to move with my legs and load with my arms to increase my nimbleness.

'You'll be a sitting duck if you stand still and load,' she advised.

See, Prudence was such a good friend to give me this opportunity. I thanked her sincerely then and thank her now.

As the days went by, everyone in Guardia was gearing up for the Millennial Fair. "Once in a millennium!" the billboards proclaimed. Signs were being hung up everywhere, especially, according to Prudence, in Truce. I couldn't wait to go. Prudence had helped me prepare everything, including my disguise and answering to my code name, Marle. Prudence had given me in-depth advice on how to make the most of the long weekend. On the day of the fair, I would have to sneak out with the rest of the servants and get lost in the crowd that would surely be there, heading for Leene Square. It would be there, as I was told, that the fair would be held.

I ticked the days off my calendar in my bedroom. I went to sleep each night with my heart thumping in my chest. What would father say if he knew? Would he be amazed? Or just angry? I didn't know.

On the eve of the fair, activity in the castle was busier than usual. Both my father and the Chancellor were doing their best to organize the fair and make it possible, booking places in the fair for exhibits, dances and rides. It seemed like it was going to be a blast! Nobody was looking out for me, which suited me just fine.

The morning was cold and a bit frosty, but as usual I was practising the crossbow on the ramparts, shooting out and away into Guardia Forest. That day, Prudence and I took a walk in the forest, revelling in the quietness of the air. I hadn't been to the forest very often.

Let me describe the forest to you. The trees looked so benevolent and wise, like they had been there for years, watching the lives of different people unfold. You'd understand if you saw them. Absolutely no light got through the trees, which made everything seem dark and sinister. During night, it was even more so, which was why I tended to avoid it then. However, on really bright and sunny days the light would still sneak through the thick canopies and brighten up the damp, mossy ground. Each gnarly root would seem gay and friendly and not the other way round.

'You're excited, aren't you?' Prudence teased.

'Mmhm.'

Prudence frowned. 'Something else is on your mind, Marle.'

'It's just,' I said, 'I don't know why, but I keep thinking about my mother. You know...'

'The late Queen Aliza,' Prudence nodded. 'What about her?'

I hesitated. I didn't even understand why I was thinking about mother. She had died long ago...

'I don't know. Is she watching over me?' I said. 'Would she approve of what I'm doing?'

Prudence shrugged. 'I wouldn't know. All I do know is that you deserve to go to the fair, Marle. I have this feeling that the fair will be an important of your life, and that you will always remember it. And you'll always remember me, too, as someone who doesn't look at you as Princess Nadia, but as Marle, a friend. I'm sure you'll find other people like that at the fair.'

'Are you sure?' I asked. It sounded too good to be true.

Suddenly, Prudence hissed at me. 'Marle, I think we're being followed.'

'W-what?' I stuttered.

'Just hide in the bush and wait until I call for you. I'll deal with it. It's only some stupid bandits, I think.'

Trembling, I followed Prudence's orders. Bandits? I thought to myself warily. This was too much excitement. I'd heard of bandits terrorizing roads in the region but I never thought I would come face to face with them. Normally, bandits attacked in small groups, robbing travellers. Sometimes, bandits went far enough to raid small towns and villages. However, when bandits became a problem, father would always deal with it. One way or another.

Presently, the bandits came out of the bush and surrounded Prudence. There were about five of them and all mean and nasty looking fellows. The biggest and ugliest was obviously the leader. He had a couple of teeth missing in his mouth and his nose was long and thin. I felt really disgusted at his ragged appearance.

'Don't come any closer,' said Prudence, sounding very calm.

The bandit leader laughed. He had that kind of stupid guffaw that wasn't really intimidating, but the bandit more than made it for it with his looks and the fact he carried a very long and jagged club in his hand. 'We won't come any closer as long as you take off that bag you're holdin' and put it on the ground in front of you.'

Prudence sighed. 'Losers.' She pulled out her crossbow. 'You're going to regret that.'

She pulled the trigger and out came a bolt as fast at anything towards the bandit leader. Thwock! The bolt slammed against the bandit's club and its stinging vibration made him let go of it in a hurry. The other bandits, seeing their leader in pain, all rushed at Prudence at once. I held my breath. How was Prudence going to deal with this? Then I saw her duck and roll out of the way and as she did so, she caught another bandit's legs. She yanked them and the bandit fell to the ground. The others looked around in confusion before going for Prudence again. She sidestepped and let rip an awesome roundhouse kick at another bandit, who copped it directly in the face. Ouch. He was down and out.

Wow! I thought. Prudence was so good at fighting. I wished I was as good as that.

Then I saw it. While Prudence was focused on the remaining two bandits, the leader had recovered from his initial blow and had his club ready again. He was approaching Prudence's back and about to strike her down. I thought, unless I could quickly hit the bandit with my crossbow (I still had it from training that morning), all would be lost. With trembling hands I loaded and pulled the trigger.

'Yeoouch!'

I opened my eyes. I couldn't believe it. I'd gotten the bandit leader through the thigh. What a painful wound it appeared. Prudence turned around and punched the bandit leader in the stomach, winding him completely. The other bandits saw where the bolt had come from and started coming towards me. I couldn't run. My legs had turned to jelly. If you have ever participated in a fight then you will know what I mean.

Then Prudence saved the day with her crossbow, sending bolts through each of the two bandits' arms. They howled in pain and fell over, trying to staunch the flow of blood with cloth. I grinned because the battle had been won.

Later that night, just when I was about to go to bed, I opened my drawer and there, glittering by the lampshade, was a pendant. I picked it up. It was made of interwoven threads and there was a locker made of emerald. I opened it gingerly. It was a minute picture of my mother, Queen Aliza. I wondered then whether it had been her that had allowed me to strike the bandit leader earlier in the day with the bandit episode. All things happen for a reason, right? I had a feeling that this was just the beginning of the road for me.

**Preview **

Time to go to the Millennial Fair! Oh dear, I've lost my pendant... I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. No, wait, someone has found it for me. I guess he's pretty nice... I think... Next time in the Long Weekend: The Red-headed Idiot at Leene Square! See you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 The Red-headed Idiot at Leene Square**

Early next morning Prudence woke me up. I dressed hurriedly in my disguise and Prudence did my hair into a ponytail to look like the servants. My disguise was a pair of baggy white pants and a shirt. No dress. I picked up my crossbow and followed Prudence and the other servants out of the castle. I was bubbling with excitement. Today was going to be the biggest day of my life.

When we got out of Guardia Forest, I gasped. I saw a huge column of people all trudging up the hill towards Leene Square. All the shops were closed and many houses deserted. The servants didn't leave me any time to goggle. I raced up to catch with them but they were already lost in the crowd. I couldn't see Prudence anywhere. I called out her name but no one responded. I was shoved rudely to the side of the road by some men who seemed in a hurry. I stared at the huge line for a moment and slowly trudged up the hill. No one glanced at me. I smiled. I was part of the crowd.

Leene Square was packed with people. Little kids were running around and their mothers were calling them frantically. Groups of teenagers hanging around talking. There were even oldies enjoying the fair. It was so busy and I'd never seen so many people. Not even at father's speeches.

I squeezed my way past the ticket barrier and into the fresh air. There was a fountain ahead of me where many people were sitting by enjoying the spray of the water in their faces. It was a really hot day. Many of the stalls grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, I didn't have much money, only the little amount Prudence had saved up for me with her own allowance. There was one stall with pretty looking swords and another with antique jewellery. Another had toys and show bags. There was so much to see! I wasn't looking for Prudence anymore; I was having a fabulous time on my own.

The next part of the square was quieter. There were less stalls and the hubbub seemed more distant. It reminded me a bit of Guardia Forest. I walked around until I met Leene's Bell. It looked really huge and old. I suddenly recalled something I heard from Prudence: "People who hear Leene's Bell ring will have interesting and happy lives." Was that true? I walked closer to the bell, so close I could smell the slight rust and read the half-faded inscriptions on it.

I turned around to return to the main part of the Fair when, WOOMP! I hit the ground. 'Hey!!'

Did someone just knock me over?

I rubbed my head. 'Ouch, that hurt!'

I sat up and blinked, then saw this guy lying on the ground next to me. He wasn't moving. For a moment, I thought he was dead but then I saw his leg twitch. I suddenly felt guilty, even though it wasn't my fault.

'I'm so sorry!' I cried. 'Are you okay?'

The boy didn't move. Did he get hit that hard? He had a mess of red hair, although it didn't look like he had it combed that morning, and around it, just to keep the unruly hair out of his eyes, he wore a pearly white bandana. He had donned a blue tunic over his white pants and yellow sleeveless shirt. He certainly had muscles in his arms, I noted. And he also had a katana thrust in his belt. Self-defence problems too? No, the katana was made of wood.

Leene's Bell started ringing, which was odd because nobody was there tolling it. I looked at it and with a start remembered all about the pendant I had put on yesterday. All about Queen Aliza. My mother...

Which brought me to reality. 'Uh oh...' I muttered.

My pendant! Don't tell me I had lost it!

On top of escaping and disguising as a servant, I'd have to admit I took mother's pendant. And lost it. I was worried. Really worried. I forgot about the boy and started looking for the pendant among the concrete and grass. Where was it? Where could it be?

I didn't know the boy had got up. I almost screamed when I heard an unknown voice speak into my ear. 'Uh, is this yours?'

The guy was dangling my pendant in front of me. 'Oh, thank goodness!' I beamed. 'My pendant! It has a lot of sentimental value!'

He didn't give it back to me. That was odd. 'May I have it back?' I asked awkwardly. I looked at the boy's face. He was looking at the pendant. He knew it was worth a lot of money and he _wanted it_. I couldn't let that happen. However, the greedy look vanished almost as quickly as it came.

'Just kidding. Here you go!' He dropped the pendant into my outstretched hand. I looked at him again. He was fairly good-looking.

'I came to see the festival! You...live in this town don't you?! I feel a little out of place here,' I admitted bashfully. 'Would you mind if I walked around with you for a while?' I said suddenly. I dimly felt my heart beating at a faster tempo. I had never really talked to a boy of my age before. Prudence had talked of boyfriends but I had never really understood what that meant or why it was so different from having girl friends. Now I knew. Girl friends didn't make me feel so… feminine. I almost felt like I wanted to be dominated by this boy. Crackers, aren't I?

I'm not sure what must have been going through his mind but the boy nodded. 'Okay, but don't waste too much of my time, will you?'

I smiled. 'You're a true gentleman!'

The boy looked flattered.

'Oh, by the way...' I said.

He interrupted. 'What's your name?' he asked.

Oh dear, I forgot my alias! Whenever we were alone, Prudence would keep calling me by that name, but was it? 'My name is, er...'

Suddenly it came to me. '...Um, Marle!' I said firmly. 'And you're?' I looked at the boy.

'It's Crono.'

'Crono?' What an odd name. Who ever heard of a Christian name called Crono? Must be short for Chronology or something, I thought. 'What a nice name! Pleased to meet you! Now, lead on!' I cried.

Was I always this excited talking to people?

I gave Crono a little jab in the back. He took a few steps then tripped over something. He groaned. 'It's that stupid cat that keeps following me!' he complained.

I looked at the cat. Poor thing, it was only a kitten. Its ginger fur looked quite silky and it looked very frightened of the whole "fair" business, as if all it wanted was peace and quiet.

We managed to lose the cat and then I followed Crono through the fair. He was interesting to talk to and I got to know him a bit. I asked him why he was in hurry and he told me he was looking for his friend Lucca. It occurred to me that looking for a single person in this gigantic Square was equivalent to looking for a needle in a haystack. And wasn't Lucca a girl's name? I didn't know exactly why, but something about that unsettled me slightly.

As we went along, I discovered that Crono would never shut up. He was a forward guy, definitely not the strong, silent type. He made me laugh a lot. He explained what he was doing with a sword. It was his passion, he explained. 'I'm going to be the best swordsman in Guardia even if it kills me! Then I'll be as famous as that Princess Nadia.'

I wondered what Crono thought of Princess Nadia. I wondered what he thought of Marle. I considered telling him that I was Princess Nadia but then decided against it. He'd probably not even look at me, let alone, show me around the fair.

Eventually he stopped and I almost slammed into him.

'They're still setting up,' Crono said. 'Lucca's exhibition was a massive one. It would take a long time to set up. We'll have to come back after a while.'

'Well, then,' I considered for a moment. 'Let's go play some games, shall we?'

We headed over to the entertainment part of the fair. It was massive and carefully constructed with the coolest-looking rides at the front, like the roller coaster and the water rides. Further along was a Ferris wheel and Merry-go-round and there were lots of snack stands and fairy floss stalls dotting the area. The square was absolutely filthy with litter and the crowd was so thick, but I didn't mind. It was a wonder I didn't lose Crono.

First, we approached a "Test your Strength" Booth. Crono picked up the hammer and swung at the bell. Unfortunately we only won a single Silver Point, which was rather measly. Crono explained to me that Silver Points were a sort of new currency won by playing games. You could exchange points for real money or play the more thrilling games if you had hold of enough Points. I kept track of how many we had.

The next game we came across offering Silver Points was a Soda Drinking Competition. A bunch of little kids were surrounding a table laden with cans of soda. An adult supervisor was watching them at it, giving handfuls of Points to the kids that drunk the most. Crono laughed, and then proceeded to drink eight cans in a row. The supervisor was impressed and gave him more Points than he normally dished out. Crono pocketed the Points and burped for a minute afterwards which I thought was really cool. Wasn't he awfully competitive?

After that we found a little field where a giant cat-like machine was standing motion-less. There was no one around, so I examined the machine more closely. It was easily twice my height and carried a humungous microphone in one metal claw. Most of it was painted pink which was cute because that was my favourite colour.

'What's it called?' I asked.

Crono glanced at the machine loosely. 'That's Gato, one of Lucca's inventions. It, um... Watch out!'

The machine had lit up and a split second later a huge leather punching glove burst out of it stomach about to hit me. Crono pushed me to the side and we both avoided the blow. I smiled sweetly. 'Uh, thanks, Crono, but can you get off me now? You're sitting on top of me.'

That got Crono off me in a hurry.

'Anyway,' he said, getting to his feet, 'Gato's weak spot is its stomach. I know because Lucca made me test it a billion times for her. Come on.'

I loaded my crossbow and shot at Gato. Pow! Right in its stomach. 'Like that?'

'Similar,' Crono replied, drawing his sword.

I watched Crono's swordplay against Gato. Looking back, I don't think Crono was that much of a pro but when I was watching him, I couldn't see a flaw in his technique. He looked so strong to be able to handle a katana!

After the brief battle in which I took barely any part, I heard Crono's stomach growl ominously. It was so loud; I heard it above the festival noise. Crono looked faint. As he approached a table laden with some take away food I had a sudden feeling that what Crono was about to attempt would not be pretty.

'Mmm, smells like chicken!' Crono jumped on the food, tore it savagely in half and wolfed it down. Scraps were flying everywhere. The dusty, paved concrete. The short, trimmed grass. The wooden picnic table. He upset drinks, knocked over bowls of edibles and even managed to spill water down his front. It was so hilarious to watch.

'You're such a pig, Crono!' I giggled.

Before I could finish laughing, I saw Crono had already wandered on ahead of me. I hurried after him. When I caught up to him, he was staring at a sword display wistfully. I figured Crono wanted the sword. Of course he would, with only a wooden weapon to sustain him. I looked up at the shopkeeper. He was an old man, a very old man, wearing a monocle over one eye. His clothes looked like they had gone out of fashion centuries ago. Millennia ago. I stared. The man must have lived a very detached life.

'Will I get discounts, Melchior, for being your friend?' asked Crono.

The venerable gentleman shook his head. 'Hey! I need to earn a living too, you know.'

Crono looked disappointed. 'Oh.'

Melchior caught a glance at me then. 'By the way...' he said. 'Could you talk that young lady into selling her pendant?'

Crono looked pointedly at the pendant around my neck and suddenly I caught on. This pendant was worth heaps of money with the valuable jewels and silver chain. If Crono sold that he would easily have enough money to buy the sword being offered and be set up for life. But it was mother's and I would never let it fall into a stranger's hands. I was about to refuse when suddenly the most peculiar look crossed Melchior's face. He was looking at my pendant with recognition and... Was it fear? I blinked. The look on Melchior's face was still there. He was still regarding the pendant with horror.

'Oh, my!' he gasped. 'It's...the pendant...!'

Crono raised his eyebrow. 'Huh? What's going on?'

Melchior turned to Crono. 'Er, sorry, but I can't buy that!' he whispered, taking a fearful glance at my pendant. 'It's...far too special!' He lowered his voice. 'Keep it safe!' Then it was over. We walked away from Melchior's stall and I glared, hurt, at Crono. He had almost sold my pendant to Melchior. He wasn't a true friend.

'I heard Lucca and her dad made another crazy invention. Hope it doesn't blow up like all the others!' I heard a girl speaking to her friend. I moved on then realized that yet again Crono had abandoned me.

He was confronting the girls. 'Don't insult Lucca, she's my friend!'

The girls didn't say anything. They just sneered.

Crono screamed in anger. I could see he had an extremely quick temper. I grabbed his arm before he could attempt murder in the first degree. 'Calm down, Crono!' I hissed. 'We've got to go see Lucca's exhibit, remember?' Crono yielded and followed me, but not before he threw the dirtiest look as could be imagined in the direction of the two haughty girls.

As we neared Lucca's show, I suddenly spied an old woman's stall filled with candy. 'Hold your horses!' I said suddenly, eyeing the candy. 'I want to get some candy!' Crono sighed and looked towards Lucca's show in the distance. I was annoyed by this and to my own fault, I forgot the previous episode in which Crono had defended Lucca devoutly.

'Come on!' Crono grunted impatiently. 'Let's go!'

'Give me just a second!' I snapped. What was he so obsessed with this Lucca girl for? What about me?

'Okay, okay,' said Crono. He didn't look too happy.

I felt a wave of fear come over me. Crono probably didn't like me, did he?

I turned towards the woman and away from Crono. 'Hi! I'd like some of this.' I pointed to a bag of chewing gum situated in the middle of the pile of candy.

'Sure, young lady.' The old woman smiled and obliged to my wishes. I payed up, thanked her, then finally turned to Crono.

'Thanks for waiting!' I said bitterly.

'It's all right.' He took a deep breath and smiled. 'Let's go now.'

I didn't even get a chance to eat my candy.

**Preview**

Is that the Telepod? Who's that girl who made it anyway? She looks like such a nerd. What, the Telepod actually works? Let me see that! Next time in the Long Weekend: Super Dimension Warp - Another Lucca Disaster! See you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 Super Dimension Warp - Another Lucca Disaster**

As I shuffled along by Crono, merging with the crowd surrounding Lucca's invention, I began to think about what Prudence had said the night before about me remembering this day forever. She was right, of course. Already, in my heart, I knew this day had surpassed the unforgettable mark. I had done many things I had never had the opportunity or the freedom to do ever before in my life. It might sound strange to people not born of royalty but I believe to live as a princess is to live a half-fulfilled life. Nobody teaches you how to be yourself. I grew up wondering what 'fun' meant.

I began to wonder whether Crono was as responsible for giving me this much excitement as Prudence was? Would I have been just as content on my own? Maybe not. Oh, father would be so mad! He must have noticed my absence by now, surely! But whatever punishment was in store for me, this experience was totally worthwhile. I wondered what else the day for me.

'Step right up, any of you who have the time and courage!' a man called from beyond the crowd. I looked up. He seemed middle-aged and had a few gray hairs here and there, but he was big and muscular and had the air of someone with a lot of confidence.

'Our Super Dimension Warp is the invention of the century!' the man went on proudly and pointed to the large metal thing behind him. I stared. It was Impressive, actually, with a lot of complicated controls and buttons and heavens-knows what else. There were two separate pods and each had a blue stand that looked like it was made of glass. The two separate contraptions were as alike as peas in a pod.

'To use it, jump up here...' The man pointed to the pod to my left-hand side. Then he turned around and thrust his hand at extravagantly at the other dull, life-less machine. '...and you'll be teleported here!' The crowd began to murmur in anticipation. I myself tried to imagine being in one pod one second, the next the other. It sounded so enthralling!

The man nodded eagerly at each face in the crowd. 'And it's the masterwork of my beautiful daughter, Lucca.' He motioned towards a figure sitting propped up next to the Super Dimension Warp poring over giant blueprints which covered the face completely. Upon hearing the name "Lucca" being uttered, the figure stood up and bowed, discarding the blueprints simultaneously.

My first impression was that Lucca was some cut-out figure from a kid's magazine. That is, she was weird. And whatever her father thought, Lucca certainly wasn't THAT pretty. She had short, shoulder-length brown hair and matching eyes, which flashed under her gigantic glasses that covered half her face. She was dressed in an orange tunic and had a handgun thrust into her belt. Also, a helmet with electronic gadgets installed in it which frankly did not look normal considering the fact it made Lucca a big black sheep. The crowd murmured amongst itself. I heard comments about Lucca's glasses and that her inventions never worked right. At that time, I didn't register the presence of discrimination, so I merely shrugged and glanced at Crono.

'So that's the secret invention Lucca was working on.' Crono stamped his foot. 'She wouldn't tell me about it. A Super Dimension Warp thingo, eh? Come on, Marle. Let's take a closer look.' He tried pushing his way through the crowd, politely at first, and then with more insistence. He received a few indignant looks from those that suffered from his poor manners.

Lucca's father caught sight of Crono reaching to the front of the crowd. 'Give it a try, kid?' he said.

Then he realised who it was.

'Oh, it's you, Crono!'

'Hey, Taban.' Crono emerged, leaving me stuck between everyone else.

I saw Crono conversing with the girl standing by the Super Dimension Warp. I was too far away to hear them speak, but I was amazed to see Crono looking apologetic for once. Thinking this was dragging on a bit and wishing to try that marvellous machine, I called out: 'It looks like fun! I'll watch while you try it out!'

Crono turned to Lucca. 'How does this Telepod work?' he inquired.

Lucca got off the Super Dimension Warp, also known as the Telepod, and pointed towards it. 'Just hop onto the left pod!' she told him.

Crono stood hesitantly, wavering in the threshold between what could be life and death. 'To blazes with it,' he muttered and jumped onto the pod Lucca had indicated. 'Okay, begin!' He closed his eyes rather nervously.

I began to develop a new kind of respect for Crono. There were not many who would try something this bizarre. It could have had side-effects. It could have changed his life forever. Obviously, he trusted Lucca more than her reputation. And I watched. The crowd went silent in order to witness what could be another Lucca disaster or something that would change the course of history. Well, actually, it turned out to be both.

Lucca and her father Taban went through a sequence, punching buttons on each pod they shared. The eventual result was Crono disappearing very suddenly. For a moment, I saw a strange blue light rise from his pod and hover over the air. It looked so eerily pretty. The crowd held their breath. Then bam. Crono was there again.

'Oh wow. That was GREAT!' Everyone clapped at once, led by me. Crono's experience was so amazing, so sci-fi. What must have it been like?

Lucca approached a thoroughly shaken Crono with a glass of water. 'So how was it?' she asked casually. 'Want to try it again?'

Crono downed the cup in one go. It looked like he could barely control his emotions. 'It was so awesome!' he described. 'Sick as!'

'It...WORKED?! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!' Oddly enough, that came from Taban. When he turned back to the enraptured crowd, he stuttered, trying to find the right words, 'Uh, er, a thrilling display of science at its best, ladies and gentlemen.'

I giggled. The reaction through the crowd and their murmurings were quite different now they had witnessed the spectacle. People were admitting, grudgingly, that Lucca's inventions could work sometimes.

Then it so happened that the event that changed the course of history occurred and it was my decision. I stepped forth from the crowd and declared, 'What a kick! I want to try it, too!'

Lucca was dumbfounded. 'Huh?' She adjusted her glasses so she could see well. For a moment, I thought she recognized my identity by the way her eyes suddenly narrowed. Or maybe that was because the clouds had shifted and the sunlight was stronger. Then she turned and said, 'Hey Crono, how did you pick up a cutie like her?'

Crono shrugged. 'It just happened.'

'Hang on, Crono!' I called. 'I'll be right there!'

I walked up to the Telepod, beaming at the crowd. Taban caught on at once. 'Behold, ladies and gentlemen,' he shouted, 'as this vision of loveliness steps aboard the machine!'

I turned to Crono. 'Don't go away,' I implored. 'I'll be right there.' He blinked.

Taban approached me. 'Are you sure about this?' he asked. 'There's still time to change your mind.'

I didn't know what his problem was. It had worked for Crono, hadn't it? I shook my head firmly. 'No way! Throw the switch!' I ordered.

Taban sighed and turned to the audience. 'Okay, everyone, let's give her a great big hand when she reappears!'

Lucca and Taban began their sequence again and I stood there calmly on the Telepod. People say that I am fearless and brazen and I guess that's because I don't really think about my decisions. If I did, then I would ponder on why some choices frightened people and thus be frightened myself. But because I don't do this, I don't feel apprehension when I choose to do something.

So when the bad thing did happen, it surprised me.

First, my pendant shone a peculiar blue colour. It was mysterious and alien and the strangeness didn't stop there. Despite the fact that there was no wind, the pendant flew into the palm of my hand like there was some magical power behind it. Now I felt fear. I guess anyone would. My heart started thumping and thrashing in my chest. A great ominous feeling hung over me like a sword above the head. What was happening? Why was my pendant doing this?

'What's happening?' I gasped. My pendant flashed stronger. 'My pendant...' Said pendant flashed even more vividly. I almost heard a deep gurgling sound from somewhere. I turned my head frantically around, trying to locate something specific, but everything was twirling around like a hurricane and my head was getting dizzy. 'It's...' But I had no time for any more words. The darkness swallowed me up and the last thing my eyes caught was a vague flash of red hair which indicated Crono. Then the pendant slipped from my grasp and I knew no more.

**Preview**

Uh... where am I? This place looks so familiar. Hey, why are these soldiers calling me Leene? My name isn't Leene; it's Nadia – I mean Marle! Next time in the Long Weekend: Identity Problems - the Missing Queen Leene! I bet you're dying to find out what happens next!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Identity Problems - the Missing Queen Leene**

Oww. My head hurt. My ears were ringing and my mouth was all clammy. A distant gong kept reverberating inside my skull. Was I going crazy?

At first, when I opened my eyes, I thought I was.

I was utterly surrounded by trees. Everywhere I looked: more trees. There were ancient oaks, sprightly elms and bent ash trees, but there was no Telepod, no paved roads and certainly no Leene Square. It was as if the world had turned upside down.

I found my head was resting on a rock as if it were a pillow. This explained the pounding headache which prevented me from thinking properly. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, hoping the trees would go away and everything I knew and was familiar to me had returned. Nothing happened, of course. I groaned audibly, then thought I heard the bushes rustle.

I was surrounded.

My heart leapt and thumped as I looked around, unable to think. What was going on? What was happening to me? Could these strange things that surrounded me turn out to be something from a nightmare? Would I be kidnapped and held for ransom, or maybe worse? I ought to have listened to father's admonitions. All these frightened thoughts leapt from my brain and to this day I can still remember the blind panic I had felt in that split second. Even now, the memory still brings me a ghost of the fear that I had felt.

Three men emerged from the trees. They all looked alike. Like knights in shining armour, I thought. Of course, their armour was far from shining. There was dirt and leaves all over them, as if they had been out in this sort of environment for days. They stared at me and I stared back.

I wasn't sure of what to think. I certainly was glad to see they were healthy human beings. As for what they would do, that was anyone's guess.

Finally, one of the men smiled in relief. 'Your majesty, you've been found at last!'

The soldiers were already looking for me? How did they know where to look? 'I'm not-' I began automatically.

The soldiers cut me off. 'We've been looking for you for days. Come with us, you look very distressed.'

And so, of course, I had no choice but to follow. The men were anxious about my health and kept asking me questions, but I was the one who felt like I needed answers. I must have looked very dazed because after a while, the men stopped asking me questions and told me to make myself comfortable. How could I make myself comfortable in such circumstances? I didn't know what was going on. Had I been captured? Then I thought, would Crono try and rescue me? Would he? Maybe not...

In the meantime...

I couldn't help but notice the area I was walking through. It looked very similar to Truce Village, yet oddly different. The houses, they looked more dingy and the road was made of dirt, not concrete. It was so strange. What had happened? Had I landed in an alternate universe? Could Lucca's Telepod actually do that?! Although I was amazed, I accepted the fact quickly enough. After all, the Telepod was nothing like I had ever seen.

In the distance I could see Castle Guardia looming on the faraway cliffs, as always. As I looked at it, I couldn't help but think it looked less ancient then usual. Guardia Forest was still there, as cold and uninviting as ever. It seemed like years since I had walked through it with Prudence at my side. I was starting to feel sleepy. The constant rhythm of our steps, they were lulling me to sleep. So... sleepy...

'Your majesty? Something ails you, Queen Leene?' a soldier asked me. Leene. That name, it cropped up again. Where had I heard it before? 'We're about to enter Guardia Forest.'

'Alright,' I said. Suddenly, something caught my eye. 'What's that place?' I asked, pointing over the treetops.

It was a giant structure. It wasn't quite as tall as the castle but it was still very impressive. Its massive roof was easily visible over the trees. 'That's the cathedral,' the soldiers explained. 'Don't you remember it? You were there at the official opening.'

I shook my head. 'I don't remember.' Because I wasn't there, you nincompoops, I thought. But I didn't say that aloud.

The soldiers glanced at each other. I knew what they were thinking. Amnesia.

'Just relax, your majesty,' the soldiers told me. 'We'll soon be at the castle. Everything will be fine.'

And so, we began our journey to the other side of the forest.

Just as I had expected, Guardia Forest had not changed the least. This comforted me greatly, more than what any of the soldiers could do. Of course, I was used to being surrounded by loyal guards, but still, I kept my hand on my crossbow in case anything unpleasant occurred. However, the walk through the woods was uneventful and at length, the trees began to thin and light reached us again.

There was old Castle Guardia! Of course, I hadn't meant to come back this way. Even though none of the soldiers saw me as Marle, or even Nadia, I still felt a little wearied by the sight of the castle as well as a little foreboding.

My brooding ended when I heard a rustling in the trees and I saw three imps emerge from the bush. Imps are the most repulsive little mystics you can find, but you don't see them anywhere in Guardia. They had no rights there and therefore have no reason to roam the forest. I suppose one could mistake them for very ugly bandits because of their very poor dress sense, only the leader imp had pale blue skin and bulging eyes; the other two were as green as the leaves that surrounded them.

I grasped my crossbow tightly. The soldiers had not relieved me of that, thank goodness. 'Don't worry!' I called out to them. 'I'll handle it!' I said this before the guards could even raise their swords.

I was obsessing over proving my worth. I was not weak. I was not going to stand being rescued.

I aimed and fired a bolt. Unfortunately, I missed the blue imp and only nicked its (very long and pointy) ears. 'Next one will go through your head!' I yelled threateningly. I hoped my bluff would work.

The imps looked at each other. I distinctly heard the words 'She's back!' amid their confused whisperings. Then one of the green imps dashed off in the opposite direction. It looked organised and not as though the imp was running away because it was scared.

'Capture the queen!' the blue imp yelled. And suddenly there were not two imps we were facing but seven of the ugly nuisances.

I fumbled to load another bolt. One of the imps came charging at me, holding a dirty dagger not much bigger than my palm. I thought to move and get out of the way, but before I could, one of the soldiers had attacked the imp. I winced as he decapitated the imp. This did not seem to deter the other imps. I had just finished loading my crossbow when one of them lunged and tripped me. The bolt flew out and landed uselessly on the ground. I was annoyed. One of the guards turned around to aid me but I had already laid the imp out flat with my crossbow as if it were a quarterstaff.

'Good hit,' said the guard. He looked a bit shocked. Then again, I _was _annoyed.

I picked up my fallen bolt and started the loading process again. One of the guards stayed close to me and I saw him savagely hack off all of an imp's limbs before going for its head. The amount of blood pouring out of the imp's body was sickening. I had learned to fight but for self-defence only, not to enjoy watching my enemies struggle without arms and legs. I thought the fighting style of these soldiers was more primitive than the mystics.

I managed to get a bolt through one of the heads of an imp. This was the last one to fall seeing as the battle had been so fast and bloody. I had to excuse myself and vomit in the trees. I had never seen so much blood and gore in my life; it had been a massacre. Was this really how Guardia was? Or this was (I hoped) just the way it was in this strange world the Telepod had sent me to.

We continued after the Guards had made sure I was all right. They breathed a collective sigh in relief. 'We have arrived back home, your majesty. How does it feel, Queen Leene?'

I felt a little irritated. 'I'm not Queen Leene!' Suddenly, the identity of the woman I was being repeatedly called by came to my head. 'Leene was some queen who lived in 600 AD.'

'But your majesty...' The soldiers looked scared. 'This is 600 AD.'

* * *

I was in my room, lying on the bed, alone with my thoughts. Funny, Leene's room looked almost the same as mine. For a start, it was positioned in the same part of the tower and the furniture was set similarly to that in mine. But I marvelled at how the two rooms, time-wise, we were four-hundred years apart.

The Telepod had sent me back in time. That explained why nearly everything I saw was vaguely familiar to me. The soldiers must have mistaken me for Queen Leene because I was a member of the Royal Family and therefore a direct descendant of Leene. I felt really clever figuring that out.

Suddenly, I heard a noise on the door. Knocking. 'Come in!' I called, sitting up.

A lone maid attended to me. 'How are you, your majesty?' she asked politely.

'Fine, thanks,' I said. Suddenly my stomach gurgled. Why did that have to happen now? I blushed and felt my face go a deep crimson.

'Are you hungry, your majesty?' asked the maid, looking at me, smiling. I nodded, still blushing. 'Then you must go to the kitchen, my queen.'

'Stop calling me "My Queen",' I declared irritably, 'Call me Ma-' I stopped myself, 'Leene. Just plain Leene is fine.'

The maid giggled. 'Come on, then, Leene. Let's go.'

We walked through the castle. The interior would be the same in four-hundred years. Exactly the same. There would always be those dark corners and storerooms and then huge ballrooms and gardens.

Let me describe the architecture of Castle Guardia. From the entrance covered in silk carpet you would see three ways to go. Up the marble stairs, towards the throne room, to the left to the knights and servant quarters or to the right to the kitchens, or, in 1000 AD, the courtrooms for the supreme court of Justice. The Throne Room is the main room in the castle. It is massive and roomy, and the thrones are made so expertly that it is remarkable. There are two thrones; one for the king and one for the queen. In 1000 AD, the second one is always empty, ever since Queen Aliza died. The whole throne room is covered with more of the carpet. From there, you can go two ways. The left staircase goes up the left tower, and at the top, one would see the chancellor and king's quarters. From the right staircase you would reach my room and the queen's.

Moving on, we eventually found our way to the kitchen. I could tell I was there even before I entered because of the steam emanating from the door and the sound of busy workers from within. There was literal chaos when we entered. Food was spilt everywhere and people were moving to-and-fro at astounding speeds, cleaning or cooking or whatever task they were up to. But behind it all, the master cook was controlling everything. He had a loud voice and utilised it regularly at the sound of it. He came to face me, with his beefy red face and short stature. A stereotypical cook.

'What do you want to eat, your majesty?' he asked.

I thought for a moment. 'Do you have any crepe?' I said at last. Crepe is my favourite food, by the way.

The cook beamed. 'Of course we do, my Queen.' I pulled a face there. 'How much do you want?'

'A lot.' Without further ado, the cook rushed back to the other maids and started yelling orders again. Man, did that cook have a lusty voice. I sat down at the table and watched the traffic to and from the kitchen. Soldiers came in and ordered food regularly. It reminded me of a fast food outlet.

After a short wait, a maid appeared at the scene carrying an extra large dish of delectable crepe. My face lit up and I thanked the maid very fervently for the service. She merely smiled and curtsied before hurrying off to do other tasks. I waited for the crepe to cool down a little before digging into it with relish. It tasted superb and was done just the way they did at the castle. Oops, in four-hundred years' time. Good thing they didn't change their style, I thought meditatively as I wolfed down mouthful after mouthful of sweetened batter. I started to think everyone was staring at me as I ate, but when I looked up, no one was looking. So, I resumed eating at my usual fierce rate.

After another round of crepe (It wasn't even dinner yet!), I finally asked for dessert. The usual. Chocolate ice cream. Unfortunately, no one had invented ice cream yet and I thoroughly confused the cook, who thought I was asking for "Eyes Cream".

As I left, I was suddenly accosted by another soldier. Great, I thought, just what I need. The soldier didn't seem to read my thoughts. He was dressed in more ornamental armour than the others, and he was a bit taller, too.

He smiled. 'Ah, your majesty. I'm so glad to see you are back! I wanted to see personally. When I heard that you were missing I was so worried.' He frowned. 'But you are back now, so we can concentrate on the war.'

'War?'

The knight nodded. 'With the mystics. You know,' he continued, 'with Magus.'

'Magus?' That name was so awfully familiar. It was one that my history teacher always told me of. Magus, the great leader of the mystics. Apparently he was a powerful wizard bent on destroying Guardia. It was like he was the reaper of doom himself, with his long, deadly, blood-stained scythe and his mighty shadow magic. And the people of Guardia, including myself, were celebrating the Millennial Fair because of the defeat of Magus.

Quick, think of something! 'Yes, I am safe. You do not need to worry. Focus on your war and win it at all costs. This is for the people of Guardia and for our history! Do not fail to taste victory!' Oh, I'm so good.

The knight smiled. 'Just the kind of inspirational speech that can only come from you, my queen,' he said, smiling. 'Well, I must see you later.'

'Goodbye.' When the knight was gone, I began to think again. Where was the real Queen Leene? It would be she, not I, who would inspire the people of Guardia to further efforts. And why had she vanished anyway? She must be in danger.

What could I do to help? The only thing was to wait for Crono and tell him what I knew. Crono would come. I had no doubt about it. I liked him, but I couldn't tell you why. It was sort of... a crush, yes, that was it. I recalled when he stepped into the Telepod, the total look of trust he had on his face. He trusted his friends and his friends trusted him. Well, now, it was my turn to put my faith in him and hope he would arrive. He and Lucca would figure out how to follow me here, surely...

'Leene!' It was the king. I looked up. He did look a lot like father, only a lot younger. He had the face of someone who shouldered an immense burden. Guardia was a big country.

I walked up to him and smiled.

'Yes?'

'Honestly, Leene, I'm so relieved.' King Guardia smiled. 'I had all my men searching for you, and Frog was looking as he hard as he could, too.'

'Frog?' I blurted out before I could stop myself.

The king looked a little sad. 'Yes, the soldiers said you had a case of amnesia, but I didn't think it was this bad. Don't you remember Frog who would always keep you safe from any harm at all? He was so devastated when you went missing.'

In truth, I still had no idea what under the heavens a frog was doing protecting Queen Leene, but I wasn't about to say that. I nodded as if some recognition of this "Frog" had come to mind. 'Oh, yes. Frog. Where is he now?'

The king scratched his head. 'I don't know,' he said, frowning. Suddenly, he looked at me. 'Leene, where is your Coral Pin?'

'Coral Pin?'

'Don't tell me you've forgotten that, too!' The king sighed. 'Your pin that you held so dear to heart. The pin that had the crest of Guardia emblazoned on it. Have you lost it, dear?'

Again I had no idea what the king meant.

'I...' I lowered my eyes. 'I'm afraid so.'

King Guardia held my hand. 'There, there, dear. It will be all right, just you see.'

Suddenly I heard the doors of Castle Guardia opening. I excused myself and leave the throne room, hurrying towards the entrance. I hid behind the pillars, watching the scene unfold below involving a very familiar red-head and two of the guards...

'Halt! Who goes there!'

Crono held his arms above his head in submission. The guards stared for a long moment.

'Check out that hair!' one of the guards said at last.

Crono blinked. 'I don't appreciate being goggled at like a zoo animal.'

'Where're you from, son?' the guard asked. 'Are you one of Magus's troopers?'

Before the Crono could reply, the other guard interjected, 'Hardly! This kid never would have made the cut!' He laughed. 'Show us your stamp collection, son!'

Crono flared up at once. Oh yeah, that's something bad thing about him. His temper. I began to remember the day at the Fair when Crono lost his temper at the two girls who had insulted Lucca behind her back. 'Stamp collection?! Now you listen to me, you're talking to Crono, and he'll be one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom of Guardia one day!'

The guards totally ignored him. 'Now beat it, shrimp!'

Crono was about to physically assault both of the guards at once when I leaped out of hiding. 'Stop that at once!'

Both guards gasped in unison. 'Queen Leene!'

I looked sternly at each of them. 'Show your manners!' I called out. 'This is a friend of mine!' _Whoo, clever thinking, Nadia._ I silently congratulated myself. Crono looked directly at me. He probably recognised me, didn't he?

The guards weren't ready to relent. 'But there's something odd about him!'

Well, obviously there's something odd about him! Look at his hair, for a start.

I fixed the two guards with the most cold, regal and haughty stare I could manage. 'You refuse to obey my orders?!' I cried.

'Forgive me, my lady!' The guards bowed deeply before turning back to the expectant Crono. 'Please enter, Sir!' They moved out of the way.

Crono followed me to my room.

**Preview**

I wonder… where is the real Queen Leene anyway? Something has gone wrong, hasn't there been? And what is this darkness? It's swallowing me up! Help, Crono! Next time in the Long Weekend: A Deadly Assassin Called Time! Don't miss out on the next suspenseful chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 A Deadly Assassin Called Time**

I was only in my room; I mean Leene's room, for a few minutes when I heard Crono stomp in after me. After shooing away the maids, I turned to Crono.

'Fooled you, didn't I, Crono?'

I would never be frightened again. _He _had come for me.

'It's me!' I shouted. 'But everyone calls me, Leene!'

What was this feeling in my chest that made me feel so intensely happy?

'We barely know each other, but somehow, I'd knew you'd come for me...'

All this time, Crono said nothing. He was blushing.

I beamed. 'Thank you, Crono!'

It felt so strange.

Before I knew what was going on, the lights went out and…

WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON?!

Everything around me flashed a sickening green, the colour of puke, and the world began to spin. It made me sick. I leant over, and started to gasp. 'S, Something's wrong!!'

Naturally, Crono was too frightened to speak, as was I. He was looking about frantically for the source of the green light shining profusely in the room, changing its tone regularly. It was like a disco light only there was only one colour.

Suddenly I felt as if someone was clawing deep into me, pulling at my intestines and flesh. Such pain! 'W, what's happening?!' I screeched. 'It feels like...I'm being torn apart!' The feeling of dread and hurt magnified. Such mental agony. I felt like I was dying!

Oh no!

'Help me, Crono! I'm scared!!' I whimpered.

At last he said something, in a hoarse, choked voice.

'Marle!'

The pain was becoming unbearable. I managed to gasp out words out of a throat that felt as if it were being strangled. 'Please... Crono... h, help me!'

Crono was running towards me, his eyes wider than I had ever seen them before. I could no longer stand. The pain... let it end... please... it hurts...

Black.

It took me a moment to register that there was no pain any more. I tried to move, but I felt as if I had no limbs anymore. I tried to open my eyes, but it felt as if I had no eyes at all.

What is this? I thought. Is this death?

No reply. Just nothing. Black.

This was scary. I don't want to be stuck here forever!

Black.

In a way, really, this was worse than the pain. I felt like I was going to be driven insane in this atmosphere. Well, actually, nonexistent atmosphere. I was lonely. No one there beside me...

Where have I felt that feeling before?

Oh yes, when mother died. I felt so defenceless, so vulnerable. Don't tell me that after all the good deeds of her life, my mother, she would end up in a place like this, just where I have ended up? This... cruel fate...

_Fate?_ _Is this really fate?_ Suddenly, a voice not my own bounced into my head. It was a voice of the ages, and I couldn't detect which gender it might have belonged to. _Time has many different fates and destinies, but it is up to people to choose which one._

Where am I? I asked the voice.

_You are in a state of non-existence. You have never existed and never will, at least, not in this time._

What do you mean?

_I mean, since the real Queen Leene of this era is in danger, your life has also been threatened. Unless Leene is reprieved of her own premature death, you will stay here forever._

Forever...

No, this can't be! I thought. There was so much I wanted to do! I had at last discovered what it meant to live a free and unburdened life. I had discovered what it meant to love.

Not now... Please, not now...

_So you trusted in Crono once, you must trust him again._ The voice replied. _It is up to him to find the real Queen Leene and end this farce._

Yes, trust in Crono...

_A word of advice, Nadia. Should you be given the opportunity to escape this state, bear in mind that time is a very delicate thing. One action you do, however noble it may seem at the outset, may cause thousands, no, millions of innocent souls to drift up here, never to escape. It's better not to disturb the thread of time the way you are doing and let other people decide their own fates through their own actions and not yours._

A lot of time passed but I don't think I noticed.

I was standing in the hallway of Guardia Castle. I didn't how I get there but I was there and that was all the reason to know that I existed.

I saw Crono, and Lucca, the girl who had created the Telepod. 'Crono!' I called, but he didn't turn. What was wrong with him? Then a thought occurred to me. Was I a ghost? Crono couldn't see me, could he? Neither could Lucca. I still couldn't feel any limbs or anything. Perhaps I still didn't exist. I shivered to myself. I didn't want this sensation to last forever. Now was Crono going to do anything? Wait, why do I keep thinking about Crono? Why not Lucca? She's trying to save my life too, isn't she?

'She's Princess Nadia!' I heard Lucca say. My stomach turned over. They were talking about me.

I glimpsed Crono's face. 'Impossible,' he gasped. 'Princess Nadia? I was hanging around with her the whole time?'

Oh dear.

'Well, aren't you going to rescue her?' Lucca asked sharply. 'She's your girl, isn't she?'

Crono went extremely red. I would have laughed if I could. 'SHE IS NOT MY GIRL!' Crono shouted. 'Princess Nadia…' He closed his eyes as if thinking about something. Then he opened them again. 'Out of all the girls it could be, why her? She's the last person I want to rescue!'

I was too shocked for thoughts.

Lucca was equally flabbergasted. 'Crono!' she cried. 'Why do you hate her? She's done nothing to you.'

Just what I myself wanted to know.

'You don't understand, Lucca,' Crono said. 'It's all her fault; at least, her mother's anyway, that I'm the way I am now.'

Lucca didn't understand, but I could see that she felt no need to argue further because Crono had apparently made up his mind. 'Well, then,' she said, 'if you're not going to rescue the queen for Nadia's sake, then do it for your own. If you do nothing, you'll be caught in a paradox of time forever. Do you want that to happen to you?'

Crono shook his head. 'I guess not.' He sighed. 'Let's go rescue the queen, then.'

He had Lucca left the corridor. I lingered for only a moment, and then everything went black again. I was too miserable to care.

I don't know how long I stayed there, feeling dark thoughts. I didn't know why Crono hated me. I thought he liked me. Maybe he liked Marle, but not Nadia. Cursed Nadia again.

Then the black began to lighten again. My vision cleared and I was given the power to move my limbs. The room in Castle Guardia came back into view, just where I had left it. And there, standing in front of me was Crono and Lucca.

'Huh?' I said groggily. 'What happened?' I do believe at that time I had forgotten everything about that scene in the corridor. Maybe it was just the delight of seeing human company again. But I think I was meant to forget that scene. It's only now, long after it has happened, that I have been able to recall it and the sorrow I felt. Like a dream that is buried away in one's bosom – a half-remembered memory that you forget and recall later.

I blinked, then simultaneously, Lucca and I said different things,

'Princess Nadia!'

'Crono!'

It was Crono's turn to blink. I stood up and collapsed on a nearby chair, and shivered. 'It was awful...'

'There, there, it's all right.' Crono said soothingly. I glanced at him appreciatively but he just turned his head away.

I gulped. It was like coming out of a dream. I only recalled vaguely what nonexistent state was like. 'I can't recall it all... I was somewhere cold, dark...and lonely.'

Crono and Lucca exchanged glances. I shivered involuntarily and stared at the ceiling as if it were going to swallow me up tight. 'Is that what it's like to...die?' I mused.

Lucca tapped me on the shoulder. 'Welcome back, Princess Nadia!'

I smiled at her. 'You risked your life to help me, too?!' I knew now that both Lucca and Crono were incredibly nice people, even though I hadn't thought that when I had first met them. Then suddenly, what Lucca said flashed into my brain. 'Princess...Nadia...?!'

Uh oh.

'I guess you guys figured it out, huh?' I said tentatively.

'Well, actually, it was Lucca who did all the figuring out. I just chopped up mystics,' Crono explained.

Same Crono as ever. I smiled. 'Sorry, Crono. I didn't mean to deceive you.'

Crono didn't reply.

'I'm Princess Nadia,' I said. 'My father's King Guardia the XXXIII.'

Crono and Lucca looked at each other as if they expected this.

Me, I couldn't believe I was actually revealing my identity so soon. How Lucca could have figured it out so quickly was beyond me. 'I really enjoyed being with you at the fair,' I said to Crono. 'But if you had known my identity...'

He looked at the ground.

'Crono, you wouldn't have shown me around the fair, right!' It was something I had been thinking about all the time as we explored the fair, looking at the rides, pigging out on the food. I was so certain Crono would have said yes, but he surprised me yet again.

'Wrong!' he said, grinning. 'I would have been honoured to show you around.' But his smile looked so false.

I giggled. 'Oh, Crono! That's why I like you!' I smiled. He gave me a half-reluctant smile back. My smile slipped slightly. I wondered what he was thinking.

There was an awkward silence.

Lucca's voice cut through the awkwardness. 'The real Queen's safe, right? So let's go home, Crono!'

**Preview**

Finally we're going home! Whew, too much excitement! Say, Crono... erm... I think I like you. Will you take me to dinner? No? Oh... okay then… Next time in the Long Weekend: A New Leaf Begins, Dinner in Castle Guardia! See you soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 A New Leaf Begins, Dinner in Castle Guardia**

'And Frog and I, we were like, the guns!' Crono was saying. 'With our swords we were like, pfft! And I went this way and he went that way and then...'

'Crono! You're confusing Princess Nadia!' Lucca cried. She looked at me. 'I'll tell you what really went on.'

We were traversing the tower in order to get out of the castle.

Lucca explained: the facts were these:

I learned that after I had vanished, Crono met Lucca in the castle and decided to rescue the real Leene before they too vanished. Together, they entered the Cathedral in Guardia Forest, the one I had seen earlier, where Leene was last spotted. Looking for clues, they discovered Leene's Coral Pin, upon which they were attacked by the monsters in the cathedral, who were posing as nuns to avoid detection. Thinking they had defeated the monsters, a last mystic ambushed Lucca, only to be slain by a mysterious frog knight who had jumped in at the last minute. Crono and Lucca decided to help the frog on its journey to rescue Leene, and, after discovering a secret passageway by playing the organs, entered the monster lair. They braved many dangers in their efforts to save the queen, and ultimately, me, and finally ended up on the doorstep of the boss monster called Yakra who was behind the cunning plan to kidnap the queen. Together, Frog and Crono fought as one, executing a move they had figured out together before confronting Yakra. That move was called X Strike. (Here, Crono went into very vivid descriptions of the move, which I found long, boring and unnecessary.) Of course, Yakra stood no chance, and victorious, Crono, Lucca and the frog rescued Queen Leene and the real chancellor before heading back up the tower to meet up with me.

'Interesting story,' I said, 'but who the heck was the frog?' Hadn't King Guardia mentioned something about a frog before? I tried to recall exactly what he had said but the particulars slipped my mind.

We were at the threshold of the castle. Crono pointed out ahead, just by the gate and said one word. 'There.'

It was green, naturally, and dressed in a long cape covering a bronze breastplate. It wore pearly white pants, and had a sword in its belt, but it was much thicker and more deadly than Crono's, mostly because it wasn't made of wood. The frog's face was so repulsive. A humanoid frog. Standing on two legs with bulging eyes and moist skin. Many strange and wonderful things had happened thus far since trying Lucca's Telepod, but the sight of this frog just had to take the cake.

Crono and Lucca hurried up to the frog, which was staring gloomily ahead. I followed a little hesitantly.

The frog croaked in lament. ''Twas a fault of mine, which endangered the queen,' it whispered in a high-pitched, how can I put this, froggy voice. 'I shall depart for good.' It turned around with a flourish and its eyes bored deep into mine.

I screamed. 'Eeeek!'

The frog smiled, something I had never seen a regular frog do, and was very hard to describe. The corners of its mouth twisted upwards and its eyes grew shinier. 'Indeed,' it croaked, 'your resemblance to the queen is uncanny.'

Crono muttered something under his breath, which sounded suspiciously like, 'Duh!'

Frog's attention turned to Crono. 'Crono, you hath potential to be a good swordsman!'

I don't believe anyone had ever said that to Crono ever before in his life. Crono just stood motionless, as if he couldn't believe what he had heard. Finally, he blinked. 'Really?' he said weakly. 'I do?'

But the frog had already turned around and walked away, not once looking back. Lucca stared after him for a while and murmured, 'Froggy, you weren't such a bad guy either.'

I hadn't really known the frog personally but I found myself silently agreeing with Lucca for some reason. There was something in that frog's eyes which indicated a deep sadness. Once past the first impression, I saw it. I felt like staring but I got the idea that no matter how long I stared, I would never be able to approximate the depths of the frog's eyes.

For a moment, none of us said anything, and then finally Crono broke the silence.

'Come on, let's go home.'

Even Crono was quieter than usual as we walked through the streets of Truce. It was early evening and we were walking directly towards the setting sun, which was marvellous to behold. I wondered what Crono and Lucca were thinking. A lot of events had happened, much more than I could comprehend personally. I had travelled back in time, been mistaken for the sovereign of the country, never been born, brought back to life and I had met a talking frog. The thing that made Crono's day was probably what Frog had said about having potential as a swordsman. And Lucca? I didn't know what she was thinking.

We entered Truce Canyon. The wind stirred the trees ever so slightly and I started to feel a little cold. The sun was only barely visible over the horizon. Crono had his sword drawn just in case, and Lucca had her gun ready. My fingers felt too numb to work the crossbow. Luckily, the journey was uneventful and at length, we returned to where I had first arrived in 600 AD. The place that, in Leene Square, would be the location of the Telepod.

I uttered a question that had been bugging me ever since the return journey. 'How do we get home?'

Crono frowned. 'Yeah, Lucca? How _do _we get home?'

'Your Highness, er, Princess...we...' Lucca began awkwardly.

I interrupted. 'Please call me Marle!' I shouted, waving my arms (which had goose bumps on them) in the air.

'Well then, Marle...' Lucca sighed, then smiled knowingly. 'Observe!' She pointed to strange blue object situated by a rock in the centre of the glade. There was a dancing pattern in it that was strangely magnetizing to look at. You could just get lost staring at its inky blue depths and the endless swirling cutting through it, swimming around like fishes.

I'd never seen anything like it before.

'Lucca!' I squealed admiringly. 'You're amazing!'

I envied Lucca. She had an obvious fixation in her life. Where I was floaty and liable to drift without any place to land, Lucca's path she set herself. And that was something I was incapable of doing, no matter how much I wanted to.

Lucca laughed. 'Ain't it the truth!'

'Lucca!' That was from Crono. 'And you say I brag too much!'

She caught on at once. 'Oh, um...' she smiled timidly. 'I mean...'

'Enough with the false modesty!' I burst out. 'You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!' I said earnestly.

'Well, if you say so...' said Lucca.

Crono rolled his eyes. 'Real good acting there, Lucca. It didn't fool anyone.'

Lucca glared at Crono before speaking. 'Anyway, I call this thing a Gate.' she said pointing at the swirling blue pool.

'What's a Gate?'

'It's a kind of portal,' Lucca explained, 'that takes you to the same location in a different era.'

Crono nodded sagely. 'That's what happened to us.'

'Gates are very unstable,' Lucca continued, 'so I used the principal behind my Telepod device...'

She produced from the depths of her pockets a blue object that fitted perfectly in her fist. It was long and thin, but was shaped like a key. At one end of the object, it looked like flowers were blooming on the end of it, but on closer observation, the flora were fake. '...to create a Gate Key. Now we can use them as we please.'

I frowned. 'But why did this Gate suddenly appear?'

Lucca shrugged. 'Either the Telepod had something to do with it, or...' she considered for a moment, 'something else made it.'

'What? You're saying you have no idea?' Crono said incredulously.

A chill suddenly seemed to pass through the air ominously. It was like we were treading in a forbidden area. I shivered, and not just from the cold. 'This is getting pretty weird,' I admitted. 'Let's at least head back to our own time!'

Lucca nodded. 'All right!' She agreed. 'Coming, Crono?'

'You bet!' Crono stepped right up next to Lucca and I. Lucca held up the Gate Key and pointed it at the Gate and then suddenly... the Gate began to expand like a vicious storm, growing like a hurricane without sound or warning. I could see dark patterns lacing through it, faster and faster as it grew larger, swallowing us up. I closed my eyes, expecting to feel something, but surprisingly, nothing happened. I opened my eyes.

We were back.

Everything was unchanged and the time was around the same as it was in 600 AD. From the distance, I could see merchants beginning to pack up their wares for the day and go home and the crowd was thinning considerably quickly. For a moment, I just stood there, registering the realization that it was 1000 AD again and that everything was alright. Everything was alright...

'Phew! We're back!' I grinned, as the familiar noises and sights began to seem less surreal.

'Even though it was great fun, it's good to be back in your own era,' Crono sighed.

I wondered: was this the last time I would ever see my friends? I felt inexorably bound to them now and when I thought about it, it was no wonder. After all, together we had been through so much. I couldn't let these treasured people leave me now, could I?

'Crono, Lucca, why don't you come home with me to the castle?' I suggested brightly. 'I'd like you to come over for dinner!'

They both hesitated and glanced at each other. 'Sorry for putting you through all that, Marle,' Lucca said apologetically as she motioned towards the dormant Telepod.

What Lucca said occurred to me as very outrageous. 'Are you joking?' I scoffed. 'That's the most fun I've had in months!' Ever, really. I said mentally. 'And I have some new friends, too!'

Suddenly, I remembered Prudence. My smile went down a notch as I remembered how little I had thought of her throughout the whole Leene episode. It was Prudence's kindness that had led me to meet Crono and Lucca, after all. What on earth would she say if she knew what an exciting time I had just had?

'Crono, be a gentleman and take her home,' said Lucca, turning towards the exit of the Square.

Crono nodded. 'Okay. Why?'

'I've got some work to do,' Lucca explained.

I started to wave as Lucca departed. 'See you soon, Lucca!' I called, smiling brightly.

Crono joined in. 'Yeah! So long!'

I glanced at him. He glanced at me. Our eyes met.

We were alone now, weren't we?

I felt the tension build in the air just as it had previously, when we were in the castle and I had just revealed that I was not Leene to Crono. Ha, I sure fooled him. I smiled a little. The wind bit me across the face, though, which drove me back to reality.

'Will you escort me home, Crono?' I asked.

Crono turned away. 'I guess so…' he mumbled. 'But I can't stay around.'

'Crono…' I said, and sniffed. 'Is that how little you think of me?' I couldn't stop myself going on. 'You hate me, don't you?'

'Of course not!' he said earnestly. 'I could never hate you; you're my friend!'

Friend… what a nice sounding word.

Somewhere along the line, Crono and I became friends. I guess the act of saving someone's life creates a bond which can never really be broken.

I almost didn't hear what he said next.

'But I don't think we should be friends.'

'W-why?' I stammered. In the background, I heard Leene's bell ring. It was the signal for the square closing for the day. Crono and I were meant to get out soon. I didn't care about that, though. I was confused. Crono was looking at me very seriously, but not with hatred. My heart beat very quickly. I barely felt the cold.

Crono answered my question. 'Nadia, you and I can't be together, not after what happened a generation ago. If people see me with you, they'll…'

'They'll what?' I demanded.

Crono gulped. 'I would die.'

Die of what? Embarrassment? I didn't really get what Crono was saying, so I laughed.

'Just go, Nadia.' Crono insisted.

I sighed, turned to leave, and then swung back around again. 'Hang on a minute!' I cried. 'You've still got my pendant, Crono!'

Crono faltered his step and laughed nervously. 'I was hoping you wouldn't notice…' he said in a very small voice.

'SO YOU'RE TRYING TO STEAL MY MOTHER'S PENDANT, ARE YOU? THINK YOU'RE EXCUSED JUST BECAUSE YOU SAVED MY LIFE?!' I grabbed Crono by the ear and dragged him all the way out of the square.

**Preview**

This is so retarded! How come the chancellor thinks Crono is a terrorist? He has to face a trial to prove his innocence! And you know what else? If he's found guilty he'll be sent to the guillotine! Next time in the Long Weekend: Terrorist Attack, Guilty until Proven Innocent! What kind of sick law system does Guardia have?!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 Terrorist Attack - Guilty until Proven Innocent**

Unfortunately, all hope for Crono having a tranquil dinner at Castle Guardia was squashed the moment we entered the castle.

I heard someone call out my name.

'Princess Nadia!'

I turned around to see the Chancellor emerge from the shadows against the walls. He was a short man with a rather long white beard. He was dressed like a peacock, with elaborate and heavy, draping robes that hid his body almost entirely.

'Are you all right? Where have you been?!'

The Chancellor was a good man, I thought, even if he was a bit vain. At least he seemed genuinely concerned about me, if a bit _too _concerned.

'I heard you were abducted! We had soldiers searching for you!' the Chancellor went on.

Crono tried out his Ninja stealth skills. He failed to get away unnoticed. The Chancellor saw him at last. For a moment, it looked like he had seen a ghost but then his face cleared and was replaced with red hot anger. 'Scoundrel!' he cried. 'You're the one, huh? Kidnapping Princess Nadia!'

'No!' I said, 'Crono's...'

There were many things I could have said. Crono never knew who I was. Crono saved my life. Crono would never kidnap me. Unfortunately, the Chancellor, who was now too flustered to listen to anyone, cut me off. He shook an accusing fist at Crono's direction. 'Admit it!' he roared. 'You confused her and tried to take over the throne! Terrorist!!' he spat.

Crono was much too shocked to do any more than just stare at the Chancellor, me, the guards that pinned his arms to his side, throw a confused and vague glance at the faraway ceiling and go, 'What?'

'S, stop it!' I yelled. The guards looked at me hesitantly and loosened their grip on the struggling Crono. But only slightly.

'Stop this at once!!' I surprised even myself with the ferocity in my voice. The guards let go at once, looking very ill at ease.

The Chancellor was furious. 'What are you doing!' he shouted belligerently.

'But Princess Nadia said to...'

The Chancellor was basically hopping in excitement and frustration. 'Idiots!' he stormed. 'Detain him!!'

Crono looked at the multitude of guards swarming around him. 'Mom's not gonna be happy,' he said.

'Crono!!' How could he joke around at a time like this?

I don't remember what happened next very clearly, but I recall seeing the guards truss Crono up like chicken and march him out of the room towards the corridor to the right whilst I was held back by the Chancellor, who had a cold look on his face as he regarded the scene. I remember thinking that I had never seen such an expression cross the Chancellor's face, but it was very similar to the look that the two girls, earlier at the Square, had looked at Crono with. I remember thinking, there's something more to Crono than meets the eye. Some secret that everyone knew save for I.

And then, I was at the Court of Supreme Justice, watching the scene unfold below me. The Court was a place I rarely went, for few occurrences demanding a national trial ever happened. During any events, father and I would have to be present amongst the crowd. Normally, I wouldn't be paying much attention to the trial for such things bored the pants off me, but this particular trial was much different. I watched the crowd and jury assemble and felt the tension inside myself rise, and all I could do at the moment was watch the scenery and hope. Hope that something awful was not going to happen to Crono.

The Court of Supreme Justice was a circular room. The decorations of the room were superb, with glass-paned windows stained to form intricate art. Around the edges was where the audience sat to see their share of the action. In the middle of the room the main things would be going on. It was where the judge sat and the jury too, as well as the prosecutor. However, in the middle of the room, where all eyes would be situated upon, was the defendant's seat.

I tried to imagine myself in Crono's shoes, walking slowly towards that seat. Looking around to see that everyone was regarding you coldly and without sympathy. It would be too much for me. But would it be for Crono? He had nerves, but this sort of pressure would be too much even for him. I looked around; he was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he was in some kind of torture chamber. Maybe the Chancellor was making him suffer, even before the trial began.

The Chancellor, why on earth would he do this? I thought. Sure, he may have some reason to think that Crono could have abducted me, but the more I thought about it, the more preposterous it seemed. After all, if Crono had really kidnapped me, he wouldn't have taken me back to the castle. He would have dragged me to some hideout and asked for ransom. There must be more to the Chancellor's motives for this, I thought. There was something else to the story, but what...?

The judge banged his desk to regain order. Silence fell at once. The moment he was satisfied, the judge nodded at a man seated beside him. The man stood up slowly, and declared, 'I'm the lawyer, Pierre.'

Like a stereotypical lawyer, he didn't look very trustworthy.

When Pierre sat down, the Chancellor stood up from his seat. 'I'm the Chancellor, the prosecutor!'

'Members of the court,' the judge said. 'We now bring forth the defendant, Crono, who is charged with abducting Princess Nadia.'

The crowd began to murmur as the doors swung open. I looked around, my heart in my mouth. There was Crono. He looked pale and sweaty, but otherwise fine. I breathed a sigh of relief and watched as he walked to his seat, biting his nails. He was obviously nervous, especially after seeing the crowd staring at him. He gulped, hovered over his seat for a moment then sat down.

Words cannot describe how savage and biased the trial was. I do not have the heart to pen every accusing word of the prosecutor and Pierre's flimsy defence case. Words cannot express the evident emotions on Crono's face, the panic and nervousness and the growing realization that he might lose the case even though he was innocent and face severe penalties as a result. Neither can words express my own feelings of dread and anxiety or the tension that loomed in the air as the jury began to decided Crono's fate. However, judging from every bit of decisive (yet false, or misinterpreted) evidence the Chancellor had put forth, Crono and I already had a gut feeling of what the verdict would be.

'Guilty.'

Each of the seven jurors said the same deeply inflicting word that caused Crono to flinch each time. My heart plummeted so steeply it felt like I had a heart attack, even though I had been prepared for the worst case scenario. I looked at Crono's face. Any other person would have been weeping in the circumstances, but not Crono. He sat stone-faced and bore every wound each juror gave on his ego.

The judge banged his hammer. 'Order in the court!' he roared. 'A verdict has been reached! We have a majority!'

He paused for a moment. 'The verdict is...guilty! The sentence? Solitary confinement, pending execution in 3 days!'

Crono furrowed his eyebrows and remained silent. His face was impassive but underneath the brave face there must have been turmoil. I couldn't believe the amount of courage Crono really possessed. To face pending doom without breaking into tears or crying in frustration, as what he would normally have done, Crono had been different. This part of Crono was one to be admired, truly. I gazed sadly at him. I was already starting to think that I had lost him forever.

'Take him away!' the Chancellor cried, flourishing with his stick. Two soldiers approached Crono each holding ropes to bind his wrists with. He looked at both of them as they drew closer to his side then suddenly jumped to the side nimbly and let them crash together. He laughed.

'I'm not going to give up so easily!' he declared. 'I promised myself I would be the greatest swordsman in Guardia and none of you are going to stop me!'

Strange how the mind works in the most unlikely situations.

I got up from my seat and pushed past the people that were seating in the seats beside me. Only one thing was going through my mind. Get to Crono. Back him up.

Crono turned to the nearest soldier and dealt him a swift uppercut with his fist. It looked like he had dislocated the soldier's jaw. Crono kicked him in the stomach for good measure, temporarily winding him, then grabbed the soldier's fallen sword. He drew it and a ghost of a smile, a smile that never reached his eyes, flickered across his face.

'Who wants some?' he said.

The soldiers looked at each other uneasily then remembered that they were three to one. So they approached him again.

I had gotten to the bottom of the stairs.

Crono held up the sword.

'I call this the Cyclone.'

I had just reached Crono's level when I saw him jump into the air at a height that would have disgraced professional jumpers, pointing the sword ahead. For a moment, I thought a bolt of electricity coursed through it but when I blinked, he had already started his onslaught. His movements were a blur, truly comparable to a dancing cyclone. The soldiers, caught up in the middle of it all, stood no chance. Crono's weapon flickered in no set pattern, but not willy-nilly either. I never knew Crono possessed such skill as a swordsman. When the Cyclone was over, I observed all the soldiers he had targeted were covered with bruises, but Crono had made sure that they had suffered no serious injuries.

Everyone in the crowd gasped. Doubtless they had never seen this sort of thing occur before in a trial. The judge himself looked affronted. Pierre looked impressed. I knew what everyone was thinking. How could Crono have grown this strong? I had no idea myself. I had thought he was all talk, but there was some water in the basin.

The next round was too hard even for Crono. About twenty soldiers challenged him and in their joint effort disarmed him and bound his wrists together. And then there, right in front of everyone, a soldier started beating him quite harshly with the flat of his sword. I felt nauseous at the spectacle of it but Crono never cried out once. For some strange reason I could feel his pain as if it were my own.

It occurred to me that I had to do something. That was another part of me. I cannot witness an injustice and not feel obliged to do something about it.

'Now just a darn minute...' I called out disapprovingly.

The Chancellor looked surprised to see me. 'Princess!'

Suddenly I heard heavy footsteps. I turned around to see father. There never was a time when I was LESS happy to see him. 'That's enough, my dear!' he said crossly.

'But father...!' I sobbed. I looked at Crono. He shook his head at me. It's not your fault, he seemed to be saying.

Father looked outraged now. 'All I asked was for you to behave like a princess!' he said. 'Even royalty must obey rules. Leave the rest up to the Chancellor and forget about the events in town.'

I watched the multitude of soldiers leading Crono out the door. I fell to my knees. 'Crono!!'

I hated my father. I hated the Chancellor. I hated my royal heritage. I hated everyone.

* * *

I missed dinner for the second time in my life.

The first time was when mother died. Even though I had been too young to understand fully what was going on, I had still been too miserable to eat. Now, a second important person had been taken from my life and this time around it seemed even worse. How could it be? My mother was my mother, but I had only known Crono for less than a day. Perhaps it was because I was older and understood the implications of Crono's predicament. Yes, that was it. I sighed and sat on my bed.

Funny, my room does bear a resemblance to Queen Leene's quarters, I thought. But thinking of Leene made me cry. If only Crono, Lucca and I had stayed in the past. If only... darn, that wretched "If only" syndrome was returning to me again. I sighed again, more heavily this time and stared out the window. It was dark now and I could hear voices echoing through the castle as per usual at dinner. I stared at the crescent-shaped moon long and hard, looking at the familiar shape in the sky. It calmed me down a little.

Suddenly, a knock on the door. I opened it, hoping it wasn't some servant bringing me food I couldn't bear to eat.

It wasn't food but a familiar figure at the door.

'Prudence!'

Prudence looked me in the eye. 'Something happened at the fair,' she said. It wasn't a question.

I nodded. 'But it wasn't a bad thing.'

'What do you mean?'

I told Prudence a condensed version of my time at the Fair, carefully omitting the time-travelling part on the assumption that Prudence would think I was a gibbering moron forever afterwards. The story sounded really weird without the Telepod.

'Crono?!' Prudence looked slightly shocked. 'You met HIM at the Fair?'

'Why, what's wrong?'

Prudence looked a bit worried. 'You probably know Crono's the town idiot, yeah?'

'Yeah?' I said. 'So?'

'He's more than that,' Prudence continued. A dramatic pause. 'He's got a criminal record, Marle.'

'WHAT?!'

Prudence nodded. 'I'm sorry, Nadia.' She called me Nadia. That was only when she was genuinely sorry for something.

I looked at my feet. No wonder the Chancellor had thought Crono had abducted me. A criminal record? I had never thought of that of Crono. So then, did he actually deserve his punishment? If he was a vagabond, why did he show me around the fair? Was he planning to pickpocket someone there or something?

'Has he... murdered someone?' I asked hesitantly.

'He's not that evil,' Prudence assured me, 'but I can't believe out of all the people you could see at the fair, he was the one who showed you around. Are you in love with him or something?'

A question like that would usually prompt an indignant 'NO' from me. But these circumstances were different. I remembered vividly in my mind the scene when Crono and I had been alone in 600 AD together. I had a feeling that, had not I been removed from existence, I might have ended up kissing him or something. So, I did like him. But love him? After hearing about Crono's criminal record I wasn't so sure. How I wished he was in the room, then I could have asked him questions, but he was dead, wasn't he? Or good as dead.

'So you do like him?' said Prudence.

'Does Lucca?' I asked, deliberately avoiding the question.

Prudence shrugged. 'Probably. I mean, Lucca is Crono's one and only friend. I guess they're madly in love.'

Something in that statement sprang something in my brain. _I didn't know you had any friends, Crono. _I shivered a little. _I promised myself I would be the greatest swordsman in Guardia. _These voices sounded eerily close by. I could hear them as if they were spoken by a real person. _He's got a criminal record, Marle. _Marle. It was Marle who caused this whole mess. If I had just stayed as Nadia, none of this would have happened. It was a real Hyde and Jekyll occasion. _Imagine the amount of vagabonds and pickpockets going to the Fair. _Oh, father, if only I had listened to you.

'Nadia...' Prudence averted her eyes. 'You really do feel something for Crono, don't you?'

I could help it no longer. I buried myself in Prudence's arms and started sobbing as if my heart had broken. Which it had, naturally.

The three days of Crono's solitary confinement seemed like three years. I felt like it was I who was spending time in prison for my sins all on my own and without anyone there beside me. Prudence tried to understand, but didn't really. Worse still, the Chancellor had ensured that I couldn't get anywhere near Crono's cell no matter how hard I tried. Also too, he prevented me from leaving the castle by keeping me under constant surveillance. I felt like punching his stupid pompous head in.

I wondered how Crono's mother was getting on. The last she had seen of him was… probably at the morning of the Millennial Fair's beginning. She and Lucca. They would be the only ones in this darned entire world who would miss him when he died. And yours truly of course.

Another thing I missed in my old lifestyle was crossbow practice. There was nothing like the cool breeze ruffling your hair as you take aim at each target to calm you down. And the satisfaction of hitting the bullseye or close to it was remarkable. I had been training for months before the fair and could consistently hit targets that were on the move. Prudence's training regime was better than the guard's.

In the respect of the crossbow, however, Prudence was far better than I. Her hands moved rapidly, striking as quickly and accurately as an assassin. It made me wonder how she had gotten so good. I asked her one time. She said that she had competed in competitions all around the world and showed me a couple of her medals. She hated revealing them for fear she would stand out in society and become an outcast. However, she did the crossbow because she enjoyed it and it pleased her to know that if she was ever attacked, she'd probably be more capable at fighting than her adversary. Her psychology was as diverse from Crono's as could be imagined. When I said that, she just smiled.

'But I suppose there's a bit of Crono in all of us,' she said philosophically. I wasn't sure what she meant by that.

I had noticed a couple of changes since I had returned to the castle. My appetite had diminished and even crepe wasn't appealing to me anymore. My relationship with father was even stiffer than usual and I felt increasing dislike of the Chancellor. I could see Prudence was doing everything she could to get me back to my old self. She seemed to understand that when a person was in grief, that was the best time for friends to be around. Without Prudence I don't think I could ever have made it through the three day period while my adventures were on hold.

On the third day, the adventures started again in earnest.

It was about midday when I heard the Chancellor speaking to the guards. He mentioned the time of Crono's execution. 6.00 pm. Six more hours for Crono to live. I was subdued that day, and Prudence knew instinctively what was up. During this time, I had another little adventure, which I shall tell you presently.

A man arrived at Guardia Castle. He was someone I didn't know, so I kept away from him, not feeling much the need to entertain guests. He was tall, exceedingly handsome, with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes; dressed in a robe of very finely made silk. I estimated him to be around twenty. I wondered why he was hanging around the castle. It really didn't take long to find out.

'Lovely Princess Nadia!' he hailed me. 'I would like to let you know that my name is Prince James of Regiorra.'

'Hello, Prince James,' I answered, feeling slightly annoyed that his eyes were trying to lock themselves on mine.

'The tales I've heard about you, Princess Nadia,' Prince James continued, 'you're quite the feisty one. I admire courage in a woman, I really do.'

This man is an incorrigible flirt, I thought. However, I replied as politely as I could. 'So you've come from the desert kingdom just to see me?' I asked. 'It must be a waste of your time.'

Prince James shook his head earnestly. 'No, because you are more lovely than I thought you would be.' Then suddenly, you wouldn't believe this, but this man held my hand in his! I was thoroughly shaken at this. How dare he! 'You are so beautiful. I wish I could take you to Regiorra. It would suit you, my princess,' Prince James cooed into my ear. I wanted to say, pardon the French, 'Shut up, you asshole!' but instead, I just went very red. The rude words wouldn't come out.

'Wouldn't you agree that it would be much better there than here in Guardia where you are liable to kidnapped by cretins?' said Prince James. I stopped giggling at once.

'Don't insult Crono's memory!' I snapped.

'Ahh!' said Prince James knowingly. 'Your father said there'd be some kind of resistance.' Resistance? I thought, confused, but Prince James was still speaking. 'So you've developed a fancy for the convict. I should have known!'

'I haven't taken a fancy to anyone!' I cried. 'Especially not to you!'

I stomped off. I half-expected Prince James to come after me, but he didn't. He must have taken his leave quietly. Never mind, because at that moment, the clock struck six and Crono's execution was taking place in the dungeons.

**Preview**

I'm leaving this castle forever. Nobody understands how I feel! What's this? Another gate has opened? Come on, Lucca, where are you when I need you? Next time in the Long Weekend: A Dim-witted Escape Plan – Avoiding the Guillotine! Come on, just look at the next chapter now!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 A Dim-witted Escape Plan - Avoiding the Guillotine**

Crono was dead.

Time stood still.

'The prisoners are escaping! The prisoners are escaping!' I heard frenzied screams from somewhere in the general direction of the dungeons.

I was hearing things, wasn't I? I still couldn't accept facts. What a foolish girl I was, seeing and hearing only the things I wanted. I had had three days to mull over Crono's death and still I could not believe he was dead.

I could see a multitude of guards swarming all over the place, like there had been a fire or something. That upset me. Here I was trying to be emotional and everyone was rushing around. Couldn't anyone take their time these days?

'Stop!' I heard a soldier call.

In spite of myself, an insatiable curiosity overcame me and I decided to catch a glimpse of the action.

I looked around for Prudence. Nowhere to be found. Prudence was always the cautious type and never liked danger. That was nothing like me. Sometimes, my hot-headed recklessness would get me into trouble, which father intensely disliked. It was neither lady-like nor rational. I had a tendency to do first and think later, which was exactly the thing that made me go to the past.

Deep down, I didn't regret going to the past at all. Even though Crono…

Oh, there he was. He was running from the guards. Ha ha, Crono, you're funny.

Wait a second.

How on earth? He had escaped? So my instincts were right!

I had known, deep down, he wouldn't stand being stuck in prison but managing to escape... doesn't that only happen in the movies? Oh, I see. Right next to him was Lucca, with her gun brandished. She must have helped him out. And around them two were a swarm of guards, completely surrounding them. They turned around and saw me staring at Crono with a mixture of joy, relief and amazement.

'Princess Nadia!'

I blinked. I stared at the large amount of eyes staring intently at me, waiting for me to say something in regards to the situation. I coughed into my gloved hands. 'This is my friend!' I said. 'Show him your respect!'

The air suddenly grew cold. I wasn't looking at Crono or Lucca. Something about what I said sparked a memory in my head. From the past...

_'Show your manners! This is a friend of mine!'_

'B, but...' each soldier said in unison.

I glared at each of them. 'Can't you take orders?'

_'You refuse to obey my orders?!'_

Man, these soldiers are the same whatever era they're in. They always need to be told twice what to do.

The soldiers glanced nervously at each other. 'Of course!' they said hastily, dispersing and leaving Crono and Lucca alone. I saw the gratitude and relief in their faces and felt happier than I had ever been before.

'Hold it right there!'

'Stupid Chancellor,' Crono muttered.

The Chancellor stepped into the scene. His robes looked a bit dishevelled and torn here and there. His face was like a thunder cloud and he looked outraged at something. Must have been Crono and Lucca. Later on, I found out that they had made a fool of him, but that wasn't what was on my mind at that moment. In my irritation, I found myself thinking the same thing as Crono was in regards to the Chancellor's presence. He just has to spoil everything, doesn't he?

'Do as King Guardia XXXIII says!' he was shouting, pointing to the doorway behind him.

Was this all the resistance he could afford, just showing me my father? Then again, it was a good resistance, for my anger went out of me, replaced by something akin to despair.

'Father...' I murmured.

I remembered what had happened a few nights ago. Father had given me such a lecture on how royalty should behave. I didn't agree with a word of it. Royalty must not mingle with common people. What a despicable idea! Every person is a human being, despite their social status.

'Silence, Princess Nadia!' Father spat. 'The throne comes before your personal wishes!'

Father never understands. Doesn't he get anything? I'm a person, not a machine. I'm not going to abide by his stupid rules forever. And it's his entire fault. He doesn't even know me. He doesn't about what I like and dislike. He's so busy ruling his kingdom he doesn't realise I'm even there. What a hopeless father!

I said as much. Crono, Lucca, everyone; had fallen silent. The air crackled with the dark electricity of conflict. I didn't care about that. I just wanted to express my opinion because everyone but father got it.

'You pick up strange ideas venturing outside!' father growled.

'I didn't pick up anything!' I retorted. 'It's called common sense!'

Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes. I finally understood. Father and I were two wholly foreign people. We never understood each other. Never will, either. As long as both of us were in the vicinity there would be sparks. I didn't love father. There was never love between us. He cared more for power than my welfare. _Well_, I thought angrily, he'll do without me then.

Father saw the look of anger in my eyes and he backed away slightly. 'Princess Nadia!' he cried, alarmed.

'Marle...' Crono muttered.

I just wanted to tell father exactly how I felt.

'I despise you!' Then, 'I'm leaving!'

The Chancellor looked shocked. 'Princess Nadia!'

I turned away. 'Come on, Crono!' I said brusquely, yanking his arm. He had no choice but to follow.

And when I think about that encounter, I feel nothing but shame now. Tears would fall down my face when I recall my conversation with father. I feel regret. I would cry like there was no tomorrow for the love that was lost.

Mother would not have been proud.

_I'm sorry, mother._

'There they are! Don't lose 'em!!'

We were in Guardia Forest running for our lives. I was in the lead, because I could not bear to see Crono or Lucca seeing the tears running down my face. My feet tangled blindly in the undergrowth but I didn't care about that. The sun was lowering but I didn't care about that either. All I wanted to do was to escape and never come back.

'Oh, shoot!' Crono yelled. 'They're catching up!'

I could hear the soldiers panting heavily not far behind us. 'There's no escape!'

No escape.

'Silence!'

Crono, Lucca and I dashed along the path as if we were being chased by blood-sucking vampires. Then we stopped.

'Uh oh,' Crono muttered.

The path ran off into a clearing that was completely surrounded by thick, solid trees. I looked around for another trail but there was nothing. 'Looks like a dead end!' I groaned audibly. Panic was rising in my tone.

'Look!' said Crono suddenly, pointing to the middle of the grove.

I stared. And sure enough...

'A Gate!' Lucca cried.

I didn't stop to think things through. The soldiers were almost on to us and I was feeling desperate for anything to distract them. 'Come on!' I hissed, dragging Lucca and Crono towards the Gate.

'Are you nuts!?' Crono shouted.

'But we don't know where it'll take us!' Lucca argued.

'Who cares?!' I demanded irately. 'This place stinks, anyway!' I said, thinking of father.

The Chancellor jumped into the grove waving his stick frantically. 'Princess Nadia!' he cried out. He was almost on top of us.

'Here goes nothing!' muttered Crono. He pulled out the Gate Key from his pocket and held it towards the Gate. It flashed blue and expanded, swallowing all of us. It was exactly the same as the occasion we had used it in the past, only my heart was not beating so fast.

Where were we going to go now? I was frightened but excited at the same time. _Good-bye, father; good-bye, Chancellor,_ I thought without too much remorse. And I started to look forward to our next exciting adventure.

**Preview**

Whoa, what is this place? Everything looks so futuristic, but there are no trees or nothing. Just ruins. Where have we landed? I'm already starting to wish I was back home! Next time in the Long Weekend: Back to the Future! I have no idea where we are!


	9. Chapter 9

**So far in the story…**

Three young people: Princess Nadia, heir to the throne of Guardia. Lucca, a scientific genius and Crono, a swordsman in training, are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

On the day of the Millennial Fair, Nadia, also known as Marle, meets Crono. Together, they try Lucca's Telepod in Leene Square resulting in Nadia being sent back in time to the year 600 where she is mistaken for her ancestor, Queen Leene. However, when Nadia is discovered, the soldiers call off their search and Leene is in danger. As a result, Nadia is removed from the timeline and Crono and Lucca have to rescue the real queen.

With the aid of a human-sized frog, Crono and Lucca save Nadia and the three use Lucca's Gate Key to go back to Truce Village circa 1000 AD. Nadia invites Crono to dinner. However, the Chancellor believes Crono is a terrorist and holds him for trial for Premeditate Abduction of Royalty. Crono is found guilty and sent to the Guillotine, but Crono manages to avoid that fate with Lucca's help. Nadia aids the two out of the castle, destroying her relationship with her father in the process.

Crono, Lucca, and Nadia jump into a Gate found in Guardia Forest where they are now bound for an unknown era. What mysteries and perils await them? Found out in this episode...erm, I mean chapter.

**Chapter 9 Back to the Future**

Swirling patterns raced around my mind. Spinning, spinning. I felt like I was about to throw up. And then...

'Eeeek!' Cold hard metal broke my fall.

Lucca hit the ground beside me. 'Yeoouch...!'

'Oof,' said Crono flatly, already on his feet. He was helping Lucca and I up.

I stood up and brushed myself. 'There's no way the Chancellor can reach us here,' I said proudly.

'I'm hungry,' was all Crono said.

'But, where are we...?' I wondered aloud.

That was a good question. Crono, Lucca and I looked around the mess of metal and pipes throughout the area. Everything was in shambles. However, the THINGS that were ruined were the sort of contraptions that I had never laid eyes upon before. Giant rearing machines with glass windows and worn out rubber wheels. Long, fancy conveyor belts long since jammed and not working. Shining models of broken robots with wires protruding from odd places. They looked like the sort of things Lucca would keep.

But the thing that got me most, and made me shiver, was the fact there was no one besides us within the vicinity. We were all alone. Not even the sky was visible past the giant roof, still intact after years of rust.

'The civilization here seems so...advanced...' Lucca commented softly.

I agreed. 'Like we're in another world.'

'Alright, let's do some exploring,' Crono suggested. 'There's got to be some food around here.'

So we all hunted among the ruins a bit doubtfully for something to eat. As expected, we found nothing. I heard my stomach rumble. How I wished for some crepe! About now, it would have been dinnertime. I suggested looking for people who would feed us and Lucca said that was the best idea so far. So we started looking for an exit to the giant Dome we had found ourselves in and at length discovered a tear in the wall through which we could escape.

When I stepped out, I gasped. Not a tree in sight! Dust circled through the air, and not a shade of green could be seen through the humid air. No paths had been made through the cold hard earth littered with scraps of metal and abandoned appliances. All the clues pointed to civilization, but one long gone. This couldn't be our world! I was finding it hard to remember the soft green orchards at Guardia Castle and the fresh sea air that whipped my face and the excess balloons all travelling towards the cloudless, blue sky. This had to be another world... and yet Gates transcended time. My brain started to hurt. I could see Lucca was in the same predicament.

Only Crono didn't seem to understand the full meaning of this spectacle if we had indeed travelled through time and not space. 'Look!' he cried.

Through the red, dusky evening I could see the tall sight of another Dome, very similar-looking to the one we had left. No other redeeming landsite could be seen for mile besides the cold, grey and polluted oceans miles away. 'There's got to be people there!' Crono gripped his sword tightly against the harsh wind.

Sword?

'Crono!' I called out. He turned to face me. 'How come you have your sword?'

'This?' Crono glanced at the sword and grinned. 'While I was breaking out of prison, I saw this in the Supervisor's closet. Good old thing!'

I was impressed. 'You managed to beat up the Supervisor unarmed?'

Lucca pointed to herself. 'No, that was me.'

We fell into silence as we walked. The Dome didn't seem to get any closer. The world was growing colder and darker as night approached. We all knew that reaching shelter was imperative in order to survive the night. I shivered as the wind bit my face. I wished I was wearing a coat or something that would warm up my shivering body.

After trudging along for what seemed like hours, finally we reached the entrance of the Dome. It was a massive thing, shielded from the light. It looked more habitable than the dome we had arrived in. I noticed a little hole and walked in. Silently, the others followed.

I sighed in relief as I entered the Dome. There were people inside, all huddled against the driving wind in the shelter of the roof. They were dressed in sparse clothing, but I could see their forms were not alien at all. 'Whoo! People!' I grinned.

I felt smiles creep onto Crono and Lucca's faces as well.

The interior of the Dome was more cleaned up than the other one, but it was still bleak and forbidding. Half of the place was in shadows, for there was no lighting within. No fire, no electric lights.

I looked around at the people, for they caught my attention the most. They were all thin people and malnourished by the look of things. Each had their thin, pinched faces down and none of them reacted to our sudden appearance. Lucca gazed sadly around the dome. 'This looks to be the location of Truce Village.'

The smile faded from my face.

Crono looked at Lucca quizzically. 'Truce Dome?' He walked up to the one of the huddled forms. 'Is this Truce Dome?'

It didn't look like the people were in much of a condition to talk. They looked gravely ill. 'Truce Dome?' they murmured. 'Never heard of it. This is Trann Dome.'

'Trann Dome...' Crono muttered. 'Hey, is there any food around here? I could eat a horse!'

This caused murmurings among the people. I clearly heard a little girl ask her father, 'What's a horse?' but the most part, people looked at Crono as if he were radically different. Which he was.

'You'll find some food at Arris Dome to the northeast. But only if you get past Lab 16...' a man said finally.

'Thanks!' said Crono, smiling again.

'Do they have crepe over there?' I asked.

Lucca didn't say anything. She was staring at a glistening metal machine nestled in the corner of the Dome. A man saw her gaze over by the machine and explained, 'This is an Enertron. You get a full night's sleep in a few seconds, but it still leaves you hungry.'

Well, that stinks, I thought.

Crono tried out the Enertron first. He opened the steel door and crawled inside. He closed his eyes. Lucca and I stared to see what would happen. At length, he crawled back out. The funny thing was: all of the scratches and dirt he had gotten from the escape from the castle was gone. The bags beneath his eyes that he obtained from staying in prison were also gone. He did still look a bit thin.

'Wow, so it works! Let me try!' I clambered inside. I felt a little uncomfortable inside the Enertron but it was suddenly replaced by a soothing wish to sleep. My eyes closed...

When I woke up, Lucca and Crono were still looking at me. I got out and realized that only a full second had passed whilst I was in deep slumber. 'That Enertron is amazing!' I gasped.

Lucca tried it last. When she got out, she examined the Enertron carefully, looking for ways she could replicate the machine back at home wither her own resources. She sighed. She must have been frustrated that she had no idea how the Enertron worked. I mean, no matter how smart you are in one time; you wouldn't have any idea of the technologies in the future. Compared to the Middle Ages, for instance, we live in absolute luxury!

Noticing Lucca's misery, I said, 'Lucca, this is no time for inventing. We need to find food NOW!'

Crono looked faint. 'I'm hungry. It's not as if they feed you a 10-course meal in prison, you know. Those tight guards only gave me bread and water. They didn't care about my health at all, the slimy toads!'

'Well, they were going to execute you anyway,' I said.

'But the fact remains I'm hungry.'

Lucca stood up. 'Alright, then. Let's go to Arris Dome.'

* * *

It was night when we emerged from Trann Dome. The moon and the stars beamed down on this tired earth as we trudged along. The moonlight was our torch as it lit each step ahead of us. I sniffed a dry, stale air, with no moisture in the atmosphere. I felt a prickly on my skin as Lab 16 slowly came into view swinging into our vision like a pendulum. My stomach was growling fiercely from lack of food and my mouth was clammy with nervousness. We were going into the unknown for something we needed. The gift of life. Food.

Lab 16 was a ruin. One time, it may have been a wonderful technologically advanced place. I could barely imagine it from the crumbled roads and the broken-down vehicles, down to the silent oppressive air that had been with us since arrival. My skin prickled and I clutched my crossbow tight.

Suddenly I heard Crono call out, 'Marle, Look out!'

It was a mutant.

It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was tall, unsightly and murderous. Blood and gore were dripping off its crooked and long fangs. Long, thin, spidery arms came from the most awkward angles of the body, reaching out for me. Its eyes were dulled and large, almost as big as tennis balls. Its nose seemed broken off and no hair was visible on its egg-like head. Its deformed appearance made me scream in terror at the sight of it.

Crono leaped between the mutant and I. 'I've got you covered!' he assured me, drawing his sword as he spoke.

I watched the katana swing down at the mutant in a deadly arc and then...

Clang! The sword bounced off the mutant's head... the head was like metal, nothing could pierce it. Crono stood, shocked, for a split second. That was all the mutant needed. Raising its tentacles, it wrapped itself around Crono's body. Crono grunted and tried to resist, but it was futile. The mutant squeezed harder and harder and harder. I screamed at the gruesome sight.

'Crono!'

Lucca frowned and picked up her gun. She pointed it levelly at the mutant's head. 'Flame Toss!' she yelled as she pressed a button on her weapon. As if in response, the gun whirred and emitted a loud noise and then a long spurt of fire came out of the barrel.

Wow, I thought, Lucca's gun is also a flamethrower.

The fire collided with the mutant's head. An inhuman roar came from the mutant's throat and it released a shaken Crono, who fell on the ground gasping. Meanwhile, the mutant raised its tentacles on its head to put out the fire but that only made the gnawing flame spread to its arms. None of us could watch any more as the mutant slowly burned in terrible pain, unable to prevent the fire from swallowing it up.

None of us said anything for about a minute after the mutant died. Then I said, 'That's some invention, Lucca.'

Crono got to his feet. 'We better make sure our weapons are out and we're ready. We don't want something like that to happen again. Those mutants sure know how to suffocate someone.' He gingerly rubbed his throat. 'Thanks, Lucca.'

Lucca had a look on her face that told us that she thought she ought to be team leader, seeing as she was quite dependable in a skirmish.

'Hey! Shouldn't we nurse that throat? We don't want to keep going if you're in pain!' I objected.

'I'm fine!' Crono insisted, but I pressed him down. I opened my handbag and pulled out a First Aid kit.

'Crono...' I said. 'I need you to, erm...' I went a little red. 'Take off your shirt.'

Crono looked at me as if I were mad. 'Why?'

'In case that mutant could have caused wounds we don't know about.' I answered. 'So, erm... if you could oblige...'

Well, Crono grumbled. He was probably uncomfortable because two girls were treating him. Oh well, it wasn't as if life was fair anyhow. In the end, Lucca and I managed to coax Crono to remove his shirt whereupon I started bandaging up any telltale marks of injury. They were worse than Crono had let on. His throat was completely red and he was bleeding and bruised in several areas in his front.

'Hang on...' I muttered. 'What's this?'

There on Crono's back were thin white scars running down diagonally. They looked as if they had been inflicted years ago. How on earth?

Lucca was just as horrified as I was. 'Crono, who did this to you?'

'I was really bad at climbing trees as a kid,' Crono said.

He was such a bad liar.

I looked at the scars carefully. 'Crono, did you have a strict father?'

Crono blinked in shock and then looked at his feet and for a moment I could see quite definitely that my assumption had been correct. Crono frowned. 'What does that have to do with anything?' he demanded.

'It has a lot to do with it.' I said. I ran a finger down the scars. 'These scars were inflicted by a belt, see. It was punishment for something, wasn't it.' It wasn't a question.

Crono closed his eyes. He was getting recollections. 'My stepfather...' he said at last. 'He... I don't know how to put this. He... was a gambler and an alcoholic.'

Lucca and I gasped and looked at each other. I had expected a lot of different histories for Crono but THAT wasn't among them. Who would have thought that that was who Crono's father was? I had never thought of such a thing.

Crono continued his story. He spoke of a long hard childhood. His father had died when his mother was still pregnant. And then his mother had remarried. His family was constantly in debt, thanks to his father's gambling. There was no way he and his mother could have stopped him, because whenever they tried, his father would overpower both of them. He abused his wife and only boy beyond imagining, taking out his anger on them when he won nothing at the betting outlets. And he was always losing. Any money he made went straight back into his obsession and also into satisfying his cravings for alcohol. In the end, his liver played up and he died, which was a good thing in my opinion.

Since then, Crono and his mother had done everything they could to pay back the debts and start over again. Crono took up a job, young though he was, at a fishmonger's. But that didn't make enough money and he then went into crime, stealing what he could for money. It explained many things and I felt overwhelming pity for him. I had never imagined that things had been so hard for him. Crono didn't even have many friends, for his background ensured that none would approach him willingly.

'Oh, Crono...' I sniffed. 'I didn't know...'

Crono put his shirt back on and grunted. 'Let's just go. I've had enough of talking. I'm not an orphan, okay! I'm not sad!'

He rushed on ahead of me. 'Crono...' I shook my head and wiped the tears if sympathy in my eyes.

'Don't worry about Crono,' Lucca told me gently. 'He's not a cry-baby. Actually, I've never seen him cry before.'

'Lucca...' I said. 'So it's all true, what Crono said... why were you his friend, then?'

'His mother is friends with mine,' Lucca explained. 'Crono and I are like brother and sister. We're so close, you wouldn't believe it. Oh well, it's all better for Crono. He's not actually alone. He might have had a tragic past, but certainly not to the extent of the clichéd romance novels.'

I considered this. 'Hmm, you're probably right.'

From the distance I heard Crono call out at us. 'What are you two lagging behind for? I'm starving!'

I sighed. Crono. He's funny.

**Preview**

Look! There's Arris Dome! Are you saying there's food here? Oh, wait. It's down under the storage. What a bummer. But that's not going to stop me! Next time in the Long Weekend: Down Under - Journey to the Information Centre! Man, am I hungry!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 Down Under - Journey to the Information Centre**

I squinted in the distance. A familiar shape loomed ahead and I knew instinctively what it was. My heart leapt up at once and I glanced at a weary Crono and Lucca beside me. I pointed ahead.

'Look! There's Arris Dome!'

* * *

My first impression of Arris Dome was that it was a perfect emulation of Trann Dome. It didn't look like there was much food there. The usual bunches of thin, mangy people were huddled up and the usual debris was scattered around the place. I felt my hopes go down.

Crono groaned beside me. 'It's the same old gang of nobodies! I'm sick of this!'

'Really, Crono!' I rolled my eyes. 'That's not very nice of you to say that!' Even though I privately thought the same thing as him.

A weak, thin, frail old man stood up. I usually disregarded senior citizens of Guardia because they looked really powerless but this guy was even more so. The fact that he had even reached old age was probably a revelation. He was obviously in charge and hailed us as we looked around.

'You there, where're you from?...' he asked in a thin voice.

Lucca pointed in the direction of Lab 16. 'We came from the laboratories in the west,' she explained.

The old man looked shocked. 'W, what?!' He looked away and called after the people behind him. 'Hey, we've got people who've crossed the ruins!' he shouted.

The people started murmuring among themselves. I raised my eyebrows, a little taken aback at their reaction to the news. Really, it was nothing special that we had crossed Lab 16. Crono might have been injured, but it was easy work dispatching the mutants with Lucca's Zonker-38. Then I thought, maybe these people didn't have a Zonker-38. From our initial encounter with the mutant, we had ascertained that attacking them physically was useless.

What the old man said next confirmed my musings. 'So there ARE people who can beat up those freaky mutants...'

Crono cleared his throat beside me. 'Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know where any food is?'

The old man, genteel enough, nodded. 'Pardon me. I'm Doan. I'm the descendant of the Director of this Info centre,' he explained. 'In the basement, there's a huge computer and a storage centre for food.' He pointed at a rusty steel ladder a few feet away. 'But we can't get through 'cause of the robot guards.' He sighed and shook his head mournfully. 'It's a pity.'

Crono frowned and glanced at his stomach. I swore I could hear his stomach rumble more than a meter away. I don't think he listened to what old man Doan had said about the robot guards. Not that that would have changed anything. One thing about Crono, once he got his mind set on something, nothing, absolutely nothing, will deter him. It reminds me of me.

Crono headed towards the ladder. Doan caught sight of his movements and asked, 'Are you going down below?'

'Of course!' I chirped, moving towards the ladder as well.

Doan looked worried. 'But no one's ever returned from there.'

Lucca joined in chorus with me. 'Gotta try, right?' She sure looked optimistic.

'Yeah,' Crono agreed. 'You can't just give up! If the only way to get food is to get in here, then you have to try and try until you reach that goal!'

The spirit of youth was with us. Everyone else's spirits had broken long ago. Even I could tell that nobody from this place had any motivation. All hope and meaning in life was lost. Everything I had seen in this strange era indicated that, but it was the first time I saw fully just how deep the lines the lines of despair ran.

Doan looked impressed, and maybe a little nostalgic. 'It's nice to see such spirited young people for a change,' he said.

It was rather depressing.

'Careful, now. And come back alive.' And Doan turned away.

'Mr. Doan...' Crono muttered soberly, 'It's a promise.' Everyone present knew exactly what he was talking about.

* * *

We heard an eerie yet steady dripping noise from leaked pipes somewhere in the walls as we walked through the basement. We were in almost total darkness and the only light came through the hole in which the ladder was propped up against. I shivered a little, for the air was even more stiff and ominous then when we had walked through Lab 16. All was silent in the basement and I felt myself sweating in the dense atmosphere. We all knew very wisely that talking would alert any predator of our presence, but still, the pattering sound our shoes made against the cold metal was excruciating.

I'm sure you're familiar with the expression, "The silence was deafening." Before entering the basement, I never really understood what that meant. Now I did.

I held onto Crono for support, for I was genuinely frightened. He grunted. 'Get off, Marle!' I immediately let go. I looked at Crono in surprise before remembering that his nerves were on edge as well. Lucca wasn't very approving either.

Crono's voice triggered a squeak from the walls. Lucca and I jumped but Crono assured us, 'It's just a rat.'

Lucca shone her Zonker-38 (It worked as a torch as well) in the direction of the squeak. The light shone on the culprit. Amazingly enough, Crono was right, but there was something extra disquieting about the rat.

'Just a rat?!' I shrieked shrilly. 'It's a monster!'

The rat was definitely half-mutated out of radiation or whatever it was, for it was the size of a tiger. Its crazed eyes were rabid and its fur dirty. It was not the kind of rodent I would pet because its fangs were eerily similar to that of the mutants. It had tasted human flesh and it had an appetite for us.

I reacted immediately. My hands automatically loaded my crossbow and shot at the rat. Perfect bulls-eye. My training had come to make my shooting second-nature and was I glad that it was so. To turn it into a Silencer rifle, Lucca would have to deactivate Torch Mode from her Zonker-38, which would have made her aiming a bit off. And no one, not even Crono, would dare to approach the rat close enough to use a sword.

The rat squealed again, a kind of ghastly echo which would ensure that every thing with ears in the basement were aware of us. Then it ran off, afraid of getting hit with another crossbow bolt.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the rat departed. 'Just a rat...' I said again. 'Crono, you are so dead meat.'

'Yeah, whatever,' Lucca gulped and said. 'Come on, let's keep going.' It was unspoken: There was no turning back.

Every corner we turned, I imagined another mutant rat was waiting for us. I kept imagining its bloodshot eyes peering at me with a lust for my flesh. I shivered. My fingers were shaking and I was worried I would not be able to shoot accurately in the next encounter.

Lucca flashed the Zonker-38 and I gasped. A rat again. I held up my crossbow.

'No, wait!' Crono cried. 'It's a statue!'

Lucca walked up to the crumbly statue. It was so life-like I had mistaken it for a real rat, but now that the shock was over I moved closer to examine it too.

'Look,' said Lucca, 'There's a memo attached to it.'

I took it and read it aloud under Lucca's light. 'Warning,' it was written. 'Anyone within the vicinity of the stock room will be attacked!'

Crono groaned. 'But what about the food?'

'Well, you go if you like,' I said. 'I'm not taking to the idea of being attacked very well.'

'Fine,' Crono answered. 'I will.' He approached the door marked with the sign "Stock Room." He opened it and peered inside. Just darkness. He tip-toed inside. Nothing happened. Seeing him go first encouraged me. I followed behind, tailed by Lucca.

The Zonker-38 lit up the room. It was small and another door was at the far end. Seeing nothing else was in the vicinity, Crono reached out and touched the door handle.

What happened next I can scarcely recall. A loud and very repetitive alarm sounded and a very big something crashed on top of us. My heart was in my mouth.

'Crono! What's going on?!' I squealed, struggling to get to my feet.

Of course, he had no idea. But I needed someone to cling to.

Lucca flashed the Zonker-38 at the thing that had hit us. 'Marle!' She cried. 'Let's go!'

Why did the memo have to be right? Life was so not fair.

**Preview**

Whoa! Look at this thing! Who would have thought THIS was guarding the Stock Room? But we've still got to pass it. For Doan and the others. I'm just… not exactly sure if I'm able to… you know? Next time in the Long Weekend, The Quest to find Hope! I've got to do my best!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 The Quest to find Hope**

I had better describe the thing to you. Actually there were three things, but initially I had only thought there was one, because one particular thing was the size of a giant. It was a hulking grey metal probe that was the length of the entire room. Two smaller probes, which I shall Bits, backed it up and flashed their dull black visors at us. The large thing, the Guardian, was held up by two long steel pulleys protruding from the ceiling and seemed indestructible at first sight. Infra-red rays came from it and scanned Crono, Lucca and I. Meanwhile, the wailing alarm continued and broke the uncomfortable air.

'Looks like we won't get out of this without a fight!' said Crono, drawing his sword. He looked excited and full of adrenaline.

Lucca frowned. 'I have to keep the torch, so you two just fight it, okay?'

Suddenly the Guardian sprang towards me. I had no time to move. Crono did. Reminiscent to the fight with Gato, Crono duly knocked me out of the way, however, he was not so lucky as to avoid a blow himself. He grunted in pain as he was sent hurtling back towards the nearest wall.

'Crono!' I cried, running towards him.

He opened one eye. 'You fool, Marle,' he told me. 'Aren't you going to focus on the battle instead of worrying about your boyfriend?'

I was totally going to get him back for that boyfriend remark later. However, Crono had a point, so I swung around to face the Guardian. It was waiting for me with a kind of air that could only be described as half-boredom. I held up my crossbow quite shakily, aimed briefly and shot a bolt.

Clang!

The bolt bounced off the steel exterior of the Guardian's armour. 'Uh oh.' I muttered. How on earth was I going to defeat a giant robot with only a crossbow? How had I been so stupid?

Of course, things were about to get worse.

The two Bits circling the Guardian started beeping like crazy. 'Initiating Delta-Attack' both of them chimed in unison with a toneless mechanical voice one could only hear from a robot. I watched in fear and little curiosity as the Bits circled each other and suddenly let rip a discoloured ray from each of their visors.

I squinted at the ray, wondering what it was. Was it like a sword?

Lucca gasped. 'Marle, get out of the way!'

The ray circled overhead. I ducked with ease. Suddenly the ray changed course and went down sharply. I rolled to the side in a quick reflexive action. How nimble I was becoming. I scrambled to get away from the slowly diminishing ray. Wide-eyed, I gasped for breath.

'What the heck was that?!' I blinked, further stunned by the fact the Guardian and the two Bits had fallen motionless. 'Maybe we should look for food elsewhere...' I started to suggest, but Crono suddenly interrupted.

'No, we can't!' he insisted. 'We've come too far to turn back!'

I rolled my eyes. 'Crono, now is not the time to go all melodramatic. It's okay to give up, seriously. He who runs away lives to fight another day. Have you ever heard that before?'

Crono shook his head. 'Marle, this battle is all up to you. You can't give up!'

'Crono, this is not a trial to prove how brave you are. This is real life.' I couldn't believe I was arguing with Crono about something so stupid.

'But we've got a promise! Remember old man Doan?'

_Doan turned away. I could see he was too emotional to look at us. 'Careful, now. And come back alive.'_

'_Mr. Doan...' Crono muttered soberly, 'It's a promise.' Everyone present knew exactly what Crono was talking about._

I wondered if keeping your promises made you brave at all.

I didn't say anything. I didn't need to. The Bits went onto the offensive once more and there was no time for more words. They sent two yellow rays, one towards me and one towards Lucca. Lucca shielded her eyes from the brightness of the rays and yelped as it burnt her skin. I was slightly luckier. I dodged, an action which was becoming rather natural as of late. And then I started to aim for the Guardian again.

'Wait!' Lucca called, shifting her glasses. 'Don't you see? The big thing isn't the one attacking, it's those small things! If we can eliminate them, then this battle should get a whole lot easier! Also, try and hit the short circuit button. It's that little one there, see?'

She flashed the torch. I saw. It was about two inches long and I was about twenty feet away. For anyone practising the crossbow for three months, such a target was unthinkable, especially because the Bit was moving very quickly around the room, shooting random rays at Crono or Lucca, who were closer to it.

I told myself, stay calm. Those Bits are no more than the moving targets I practised against in Guardia Forest. I recalled the calm wind and blocked out the noise of the battle, and I closed my eyes for concentration.

Prudence had told me about a special state archers get into when they are about to shoot. It was called different things by different people but she called it "Zen." One must shut their mind to all things except the target and thus achieve the perfect state of Zen. It is only then that perfect target-hitting is possible.

I recalled the pattern of the kite blowing in the air. The target I had to hit. I raised my crossbow and ran as I loaded; the adrenaline was pumping in my side. I fired on intuition as quickly and accurate as I could, as if it were an emergency.

A direct hit.

'Malfunction! Bit closing down!' I heard the Bit chime. It crashed on the ground and a brief static and then silence.

'Wow!' Crono called. 'That's amazing! You hit it on the first go, even though it's moving like it's on drugs!'

Nice analogy, Crono, I thought. But I gritted my teeth and focused on my next shot. The worst thing, Prudence had always said, was to deplete your supply of bolts. Make every one count. And while you're at it, don't make yourself a target too.

I saw the remaining Bit send a yellow ray at me and I jumped to avoid it and then took a shot at it while I was it in the air.

Clang!

Darnit, I thought, I missed the short circuit button. Quickly, I raised the crossbow again and struck again. Another close call, but no game. One more time now...

Yes! Bullseye!

As the Bit went down, Crono and I focused on the Guardian. I fired bolts in rapid succession and Crono jumped up and hit the thing as many times as he could with his sword. Every hit was stopped by the Guardian's steel armour. I looked for another short circuit button... yes, there it was.

Suddenly, the Guardian cried out. '5!'

Lucca paled. 'I think it's going to revive the Bits!'

How could it do that? Probably, the Guardian had been storing energy to do this task. However, I had no time to ask.

I fired and missed the Guardian's short circuit button. I checked my quiver. Three bolts left.

'4!'

I fired another short in panic mode. Another miss. '3!'

Another miss. '2!'

One more bolt left, I thought. If I don't hit, this fight is ruined. Panic rose, but I fought to keep it down. Somewhere I heard the Guardian call out, '1!' but I was no longer listening.

I had to get into the perfect state of Zen. I was forcing every effort in my body to concentrate and above all NOT TO PANIC. I aimed very, very carefully and then fired.

**Preview**

Ha, as if I'm going to spoil the next chapter for you!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 The Quest to find Hope - Part 2**

A miss.

'No!' I gasped. 'I failed! I-'

'Um, Marle?' said Crono.

I felt like kicking Crono in the shins. 'What?!'

'The Guardian's not doing anything.'

I stared. Crono was right. The Guardian just sat still.

'Why didn't it revive the Bits?' I wondered aloud.

'Power Failure,' said Lucca. 'With no constant source of electricity the Guardian deactivated. Perhaps it just used up the last of its power source to revive the Bits. But they're not here because the Guardian couldn't complete the process...'

Amazing how a power shortage can save your life. I picked up the fallen bolts and replaced them in my quiver feeling a bit strange. The fight didn't depend on me after all. The irony was cruel.

Tentatively, we walked past the Guardian half expecting it to suddenly spring out at us. But nothing happened. We squeezed past the gap in the door and entered the Stock room. My stomach reminded me how very grateful I should be to get past the Guardian at all.

Except my appetite diminished the moment I entered the room and caught a whiff of how the place smelt. I pinched my nose. 'Phew! Something reeks!'

The Stock room was small and square and filled bottom to top with crates. The wood had rotted but the steel strapping had not. At the ceiling a fan hung, long since stopped working, and a light bulb that was completely dead. The strange thing about the scent of the room was that it was not only of food centuries after the expiry date, it was also the smell of death. The same smell I had smelt when mother lay on her deathbed. I shivered.

Lucca examined each box with her torch, nodding knowingly as the light shone down at the food. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. 'Everything's completely rotten,' she said bitterly. 'The refrigeration must have failed...'

Somewhere to my right I heard Crono spit something out of his mouth. I hoped it wasn't food.

I walked around the room, still pinching my nose. I felt great disappointment indeed. The Power failure was a double-edged sword. We had gotten through... but at a price.

I spotted a figure huddled against the wall. It was a person. 'Crono, look!!' I breathed, dashing over to the person.

Crono came hurrying over. 'What is it?' He looked at the person. He stopped. He stared. 'Is he...' he gasped. 'Is he, you know...'

The man was a horrific sight. His skin had half rotted, leaving some pale bleached bone visible. He had that haunted look about him, like a thing from a nightmare. I knew he couldn't hurt me, but I still couldn't help but feel frightened. I knew death and it wasn't friendly.

'Passed away long ago, I suppose...' I muttered.

'Do you think he died trying to get past the Guardian?' Crono wondered aloud.

I didn't answer him because I suddenly noticed that in his cold lifeless hand, the man was holding something out of the corner of my eye. 'He's holding something.' Out of feminine curiosity I overcame my repugnance of the corpse and opened up the fingers that had curled into a ball in death. It was a small hard thing and I couldn't see it properly. 'What do you suppose this is?' I asked Lucca.

She promptly came over and flashed the torch at the object in my hand. 'It looks like some kind of seed,' she observed. Apple pips, that's what they were.

'A seed?' I mused. 'Do you suppose it could grow in a place like this?' I handed the seed to Crono. He put it in his bag, right next to my pendant. I was still thinking about whether the seed could do good when Crono spoke up.

'The seed will grow. It has to. There is always hope, you just have to search hard sometimes.'

I thought about that. It sounded like the sort of thing a novelist would write.

None of us said anything for a long moment. The smell was really awful but I was still reluctant to leave. I felt as if there was still something to be done.

Crono found it. It was a soiled sheet of paper lying at the dead man's feet. He picked it up and read it aloud. 'The rat is more than just a statue! It knows the secret of the dome! Catch it!' He paused for a minute. 'That rat statue we passed? You don't mean it's...'

I butted in. 'Let's get it!' I rushed out of the door eagerly. I was starting to believe anything by now. Heh heh. Rat statues that can move.

Leaving the Stock room, Lucca, Crono and I discovered that the rat statue that we were supposed to be looking out for wasn't there anymore. For some strange reason, I didn't find that odd at all, but rather, I expected it so.

'There! There it is!' I pointed in the distance. And sure enough, an overlarge rat was standing on a rickety plank some distance away. It didn't look like a statue anymore, but I knew that the statue and the rat were one and the same.

'Shhh!' Lucca hissed. 'It might run away!'

Crono peered after it. 'I'll get it. No way could a stupid rat be faster than me!' I seriously doubted that but I nodded anyway.

With what sounded like a deafening noise, Crono's feet hit against the ground as he sprinted after the rat. The rat turned around, squeaked once in a high-pitched squeal and started to retreat very quickly. Crono ran after it and the chase began.

It was hilarious to watch Crono chasing after a very frightened rat that used to be a statue. They ran across planks and made such a racket that I was sure that every other living thing in the ruins must be staring after the two with very wide eyes. The rat was doing its best to lose Crono while Crono was doing his best to catch the rat. Lucca and I were doubled over with laughter at the scene.

Now this is how Crono managed to win the race. After a while, he had begun to get a bit tired for running so hard, but he knew the rat was in the same position. It was too fat and mutated to dive under some scrap metal, so Crono used that fact to his advantage. He ran a bit harder and pushed the rat into an awkward corner and then dived and grabbed it by the tail.

'Got it!' he grinned.

Lucca and I, who were too busy wiping tears of mirth from our eyes before, came over now. The rat was struggling to pull itself loose and it really did look repulsive under the light of Lucca's torch.

The rat squeaked. 'I give up. I'll tell you everything.' I was amazed that it could actually talk and just stood there trying to figure out the trick. Meanwhile, the rat gave Lucca a very long and complicated sounding password to enter the info centre next door. 'Don't make any mistakes, or you'll be sorry!' it said as Crono put it down on the ground for it to go. I stared after the rat as it left. Animals are not supposed to talk... were they?

'Before you ask,' said Lucca, 'it had a computer chip in it and a high power battery.'

'What's a chip?' asked Crono.

Lucca sighed. 'Never mind. Let's go input the password.'

I grinned. 'Oh yeah! Come on!' I tried to shrug off the talking rat statue out of my mind even though it still bugged me.

Lucca crouched down by a nondescript machine sitting motionless in the dark. A few buttons were on the thing but I was amazed to see it was still functional. Maybe it worked off a "battery" too. Lucca punched in a combination, presumably the one the rat had told her and a loud beep and a click told us that access was not denied but rather that we were admitted inside.

Without a word we entered passage beside us, hardly knowing what to expect.

'So this is the info centre!' Lucca mused.

'Wow, it's huge!' Crono gasped.

It was too. However, most of the room was taken up with a massive computer with a massive screen which shone an odd opalescent colour. It was really eye-boggling just to look at. I, who had never really seen a computer before and thought it must be some huge monster, immediately felt for my crossbow, but Lucca put an arm across me and stopped me from doing much harm.

'Good!' said Lucca. 'The computer's still operational! If we run a search on time warps, we might find our Gate!'

She walked up to the computer and started pressing some buttons and staring at the blue screen. I watched her fingers move rapidly on the keyboard and thought what marvellous skills Lucca had.

'Find anything?' asked Crono.

Lucca grinned. 'Here! Got it!

All of us crowded around the computer, which showed a life-like scaled image of the contemporary world. It really looked bleak and desolate with a few domes here and there. It looked nothing like Guardia, past or present. 'Cool.' said Crono.

'East of Arris Dome...' Lucca muttered, pointing to the screen.

'Where's that?' Crono inquired.

'That would be Proto Dome, I believe,' Lucca explained.

'Leave it to Lucca!' I said. 'I'm beginning to think you could find anything with this device!'

I pondered on what a help I had been in the future. Not much.

'Say, what does this button do?' I said, pressing a bright big red button on the keyboard.

A high-quality image came up on the screen. It looked like a map of Truce from our time only with a couple of domes here and there. A long grey road connected Truce, Guardia Castle and Regiorra. Below the map were a few captions that Lucca read aloud. '1999 A.D.? Visual recording of the Day of Lavos...'

Then the file began to run. Crono, Lucca and I stared open-mouthed at the screen, for we were finally about to witness the fate of our world.

**Preview**

I can't believe that this thing has destroyed our world! Lavos... We're not going to let you win so easily! We're going to kick your butt so hard you won't be able to go Godzilla any more! Next time in the Long Weekend, Apocalypse! The Day of Lavos! Stupid Lavos. You're not going to get away with that!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 Apocalypse! The Day of Lavos**

It perhaps started as an ordinary day when the world changed forever.

Arnie and his friends were playing baseball out on the oval, like they usually did on weekends. Arnie was a sporty kid and didn't find any real enjoyment in computer games or watching TV. The technology in his world he took for granted, for it was far advanced to the middle ages, or even 1000 A.D. Artificial satellites circled the globe, detecting any problems in the earth or in Outer Space; powerful domes were erected in order to combat with the growing problem of Global Warming and also things like cars and aeroplanes had been built, things that would have seemed phenomena to people of 999 years prior.

Last night, Arnie and his dad watched a documentary considering whether aliens existed or not. It really annoyed Arnie because the documentary didn't give a definite answer. Even now, he was still pondering over it. He really didn't like documentaries but that particular one was really head-scratching. Which was astounding because Arnie's teacher often noted that Arnie was one who never thought things through.

'Strike three! Arnie, you're out!' Tom, the pitcher, declared.

'So I am too,' Arnie muttered, his thoughts distracted on other things.

Sally giggled. 'We should whack Arnie over the head with a bat, then he'll pay attention,' she suggested. Cute and blond, Arnie always liked Sally. She was pretty athletic too, for a girl.

Arnie shook his head. 'I was thinking about this dumb documentary I saw last night. You know, _Does Lavos Exist?_. That one.'

'Oh yeah,' said Tom. 'I saw that, too. Funny, I was thinking about it this morning. It's really baffling, isn't it?'

'What's Lavos?' piped up Sally.

Arnie stared long and hard at the blue, cloudless sky before answering. 'Well, according to Mystic Lore, this dude, can't remember his name, made this retarded thing called Lavos. When Lavos wakes up from his long sleep, the human race is doomed to become extinct.'

Despite the warm morning, Sally shivered. 'That sounds scary!' she said.

'Yeah,' Tom agreed, 'but it makes you wonder why Lavos is sleeping and why doesn't it wipe us all out, like, now.'

The ironic thing about Tom's statement was that he had mentioned the word 'Now'. While, according to the General Theory of Relativity, there is no such thing as 'Now', less than a second after the word 'Now' had been uttered the earth began to shake.

Lavos had awakened at last.

The people of the region of Truce were well used to earthquakes and the like. However, there had been simply no warning and this quake was so violent and savage, it felt as if the very world was being ripped and torn apart. Sally screamed and embraced the closest person, which happened to be Arnie. Everywhere else, chaos ensued. Windows broke, dogs began barking and all cars broke down at once. Everywhere, people were looking around in bewilderment and fear. The sky had darkened ominously and was now red. The sun, stars, moon, anything that remotely resembled the sky had morphed into a totally new entity. Yellow flashes lit the sky and odd green flashes crossed one's sight every so often.

That was when the noises began.

It was a screeching sound, so alien and piercing that everyone stopped at once. The sounds went on, now playing duet with the noise of the earth moving radically. And as the viewers watched, more rapt than they had ever been watching the most enthralling television program, a great crevasse formed along the ground. It did not happen slowly, either. The cracks ran quickly along the ground, becoming wider at an eye-popping pace. Soon, the rip in the ground was larger than that of the Grand Canyon. It expanded to an even larger scale, and as it did so, fire came spurting from the ground, more violent than the deadliest of volcanoes. Lava and magma went spurting into the air, falling onto the ground and causing mass havoc and destruction. So many lives were lost in the initial disillusionment, either killed by the great fires or fallen into the crevasse.

Lavos emerged from the ground, so massive that people many kilometres away could see its giant form. It was covered with spines resembling a forest. It had no arms or feet like an animal but it still rose up from the hole in the ground. Only one feature could be seen on it and it was its one eye that was large, displeasing to the eyes and strangely hypnotic. Most people, however, were at a safe distance but still regarded the creature with awe. It must have been Satan himself! The world was being punished for its materialistic age. People were screaming, howling, 'It is the end! The Apocalypse has come!' And bowing down to Lavos, the angel of death that had risen from beneath the ground.

What happened next could easily be described as "Destruction rains from the heavens." Lavos, fully emerged, paced around its world. It crushed towns, swamped forests and generally destroyed the world in a way no weapon a human could devise could do. Fire shot down from the skies, burning the ground, killing vegetation and people. It was a disaster upon the scope never been thought of before. That is, more than half of the world's entire population perished underfoot.

The transition from peaceful day to Armageddon had been truly frightening. Arnie, Tom and Sally lay whimpering on the ground, for they had been spared death. Around them, like distant music sirens could be heard. 'To ShelterDome! To ShelterDome!' but our three heroes could not lift a muscle from sheer fright. If they moved, they would die. If they stayed still, they would die. A kind of terror gripped their hearts so that it had taken control of them. Nay, they would not move, not until the noise died down and the world would be still again.

But that would not be for many troublesome days and nights. Afterwards, the damage would be calculated and surveyed. Corpses would be left rotting on the ground and the rest of the people would be hiding from their destiny. That is, their fate to go back to dust, for from the dust they had come and to the dust they would return.

* * *

'Wh, what...IS that?' I gasped, pointing a shaky finger to the screen. I could not, absolutely COULD NOT believe what I had just seen. My mind was still numb from the sight of it. It being the monster Lavos. Once, the camera had zoomed in on it and my heart had went to my mouth and I sat there, transfixed at the sight. Even though it was made of pixels, it wasn't hard to imagine what things Lavos could do to our world. After all, we had just seen it in action.

'Lavos?...' Lucca frowned. 'Is that what's destroying our world?!' She screamed and, being unable to control her feelings, got to her knees and started sobbing. Tears of shock, anger and misery ran down her face.

It wasn't the last time that I wished that Lavos had never existed. I looked at the screen once more and sniffed, trying to keep back the tears that were coming into my eyes. 'We must truly be in the future...'

'And that means...' said Crono, curling his fist into a ball. 'that our descendants are doomed to die.'

Hot tears sprang to my eyes and I could not stop myself from screeching. 'No! NO WAY!' I rasped, my words choking in my mouth. 'I refuse to believe it!'

/Flashback/

_'No! NO WAY!' I rasped, my words choking in my mouth. 'I refuse to believe it!'_

_Mother was lying on her deathbed in a beautiful gown, the one crafted years ago as the garment to be worn on the day of her death. She was pale and thin from her illness, but I still could not think that she would go and leave me alone. All alone. By myself._

_Then mother summoned the last of her strength to open one eye. The corners of her mouth twitched into a sad smile. She looked at me and I knew, even though I didn't want to accept it, that her death was nigh._

_'Nadia, dear...' she muttered. 'Once something has happened you can't change it. Things happen for a reason. Everybody will die one day, even you and I.'_

_'Mother!' I sobbed, holding her close to me. I didn't want things to turn this way. Not ever. 'Mother, I don't want you to leave... I'll make you better and then we'll all be happy; father and you and me...'_

/End flashback/

'This...' I looked at the computer screen again but it was a blur through my tears.

'Marle...' Crono looked down and uncurled his fists.

'...this can't be the way the world ends...' I cried.

_'Nadia, dear... once something has happened you can't change it.'_

Lucca and Crono said nothing.

_'Things happen for a reason.'_

Mother, I am going to prove you wrong.

'Crono...' I began.

'Huh?' Crono looked up.

I stood up and wiped away my tears. There was no need to mope over spilt milk, as they say. 'There's only one thing we can do!' I said firmly. 'We must change history! Just like Crono did when he saved me!' I smiled. I was beginning to warm to the idea. 'Okay, Lucca? Okay, Crono?!'

'I...guess so...' Lucca nodded slowly.

Crono held up his hand. 'I agree with Marle.' I smiled. It was better than being troubled for the rest of my days.

Lucca agreed, 'We can't just go back to our world and live comfortably after seeing this...' She went on, 'It was a stroke of luck that we were sent here through that Gate.'

'Really?' said Crono. 'It's almost too uncanny, I think. It's like, we were MEANT to come here and find out. Maybe to put a stop to it, although that Lavos thing DID look a bit freaky in my opinion.'

There was something I ought to have remembered, but I couldn't recall it.

Lucca grinned. 'Crono, let's go!'

Crono punched the air. 'Okay!'

I beamed. I was really glad to see that Crono and Lucca wanted to fight. Somewhere in my head, I was being repeatedly told that we were no match for Lavos. Didn't we just see what it did? There was no way we could be cocky enough to defeat such a thing. Angrily, I suppressed these feelings of self-doubt.

'Crono! Lucca! Together we can do this!'

Lucca put a suggestion on how to defeat Lavos. 'Let's take a second and do some more research on Lavos' activities back in our time period!'

Crono nodded. 'All right!'

'Next stop, Proto Dome!'

I don't think anyone understood the weight of our decision.

**Preview**

Marle: Huh? Who are you?

Johnny: You lowlifes can call me Johnny! Think you can beat me in a bike race?

Marle: What's a bike?

Johnny: Hey, don't chicken out, babe! My granny rides faster than you!

Next time in the Long Weekend, Stick it to the Man! Don't miss some awesome bike race action!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 Stick it to the Man**

Like a half-remembered story, something came into my head without warning. A voice was bleating, very loudly, over and over into my thumping cranium.

_Don't do it. Don't do it._

Don't do what? It had something to do with Lavos, I was certain. Don't destroy Lavos? But why not? He was the time destroyer after all, look at what he had done.

But still my subconsciousness urged me not to continue my quest. Not to bend the fabric of time. _Not to aid the bleeding world…_

* * *

'Marle! Wake up!' Lucca peered at me anxiously from under her flashing glasses.

'Oh!' I said. 'Did I fall asleep?'

'It seemed like you were. You went into a trance and started muttering all these strange things.' Lucca could not conceal her worrying.

I shivered. 'It must be the air,' I declared as I got to my feet without any aid. 'Are we going to get out of the basement yet, Crono?'

The reply was short. 'Soon. Stop asking.'

Lucca whispered to me, 'Crono's lost.'

'Oh, for goodness' sake!' I grunted. 'Here, let me lead!'

'Hey!' Crono growled. 'Who's leader here?'

'Surely not you?' Lucca ventured, slightly amused.

'Sure I am. I'm the male around here.'

It was an aggravating statement to all feminists. 'You take that back, you sexist freak!' I yelled and did my best to shove Crono over.

'HEY! HEY! HEY!' Crono yelled. 'You almost impaled me on my sword!'

'It's made of wood, Crono. Nobody is going to get impaled on it!'

I couldn't help but giggle somewhat at our playful banter. It seemed now that we had a real mission, a real goal in sight, things between us could lighten up. Before, we addressed each other so stiffly. It had, truth be told, been rather morbid.

I heard voices above us and feet shuffling across the top of the ceiling. Time had flown. I hadn't noticed when we had come back to civilisation, or at least, the watered-down replica of it.

Doan's voice: 'You're back!' An unmistakeable note of hope colored his speech. He had heared us down below in the dark. I grinned.

Silently, we made our way up the ladder. I was first. The bars were grimy and slippery and I almost fell on Crono, who was climbing beneath me. Eventually, though, I squeezed out of the basement and got onto the ground level of Arris Dome.

Nothing had changed. I felt the deadened atmosphere stifle me again, and I wanted to puke. Just when I was getting into a good mood too.

Doan peered at us, trembling with excitement. He didn't bother with a greeting. 'Well? What did you discover?'

Nothing edible. The food had rotted, I recalled bitterly. But then I remembered the seeds on the man's corpse we had found. I showed them to Doan, watched his shiny, feverish eyes revert to their normal, tired grey selves and felt an overwhelming sense pity. For him? For us. For everyone.

'This is...our future.'

The words just came out of my mouth unbidden. Doan looked at me, confused. I turned my head and found myself looking at Crono; he was looking at me. I knew, from the understanding gleam in his eyes that he knew what I meant.

1999 A.D., to the three travellers from a different time, was in the future. I wasn't certain what year I was in right now but it was in even further into the future. And from here - where could time go? There were many paths spanning into tomorrow. I wondered which way the seeds pointed. It seemed like a dim light, but then again, even the feeblest of light could be seen in pitch black.

'Who cares, where's the food?'

I didn't see the man who said that but if I did catch him, dear me, wasn't he going to get a spanking?

'This is all we could get...' I tried to say so assuringly, but all that came out of my throat was a strangled whisper. My eyes stung and they felt damp. I stared down at the seeds in my hand and couldn't help but wish, yearn...

Slowly, I extended my hand. Doan gingerly scooped up the contents. 'Seeds...?' Questioningly, he looked up into my eyes.

'You don't know how long the Enertron'll hold out,' Lucca said quietly. 'Those seeds might be your only hope.'

'Hopefully, they'll grow and you'll be able to live off what fruit it produces,' said Crono encouragingly.

Hope. Of course, Lucca and Crono were trying to give Doan and the others hope. I had to do my part in that too.

Smiling, I said, 'You have to stay alive! And,' I added, reflectively, 'so do we!'

Doan continued to stare at us. Glancing around, I realised that everyone in the Dome was staring at us. It gave me an unsettling feeling.

'Huh...' Doan sighed at last. 'You're strange... You're different from us...'

It had been easy to work out, that fact. I think Doan had known it the moment he had met us. The faces of the people were so pale and so sickly in comparison to us. I mean, for the past few days, I hadn't been feeling too well, but it couldn't have compared to how these particular people have felt throughout their lives.

'I think it's because we're healthy!' I answered after some thought.

In vain I tried to lighten the mood. These people had been set on a specific lifestyle and attitude that had been woven by generations upon generations of despair. We smiled at them, laughed for them, even risked our lives for them, but would these pathetic people look up and beyond their situation?

Then Doan said an alarming thing. Well, not alarming, just... surprising, given the circumstances. 'Heal-thy?' He chuckled. 'Got a nice ring to it!' Then he coughed and became solemn. 'We'll try growing the seeds...'

'What're those?' a small, scruffy child asked.

Doan turned to them, eyes twinkling in a benign way. It was different from the gleam that had been there earlier. His eyes were filled not with hunger or despair, but with a little thing I like to call hope.

'They,' he said, nodding to the seeds, 'just might be our future...'

We went away feeling uplifted – we had done something good and right. We were benevolent and appreciated. Also, Doan had given us a key to his Jet Bike, whatever that was.

* * *

While the atmosphere had lightened, the sky had not. It was midnight now, and the moon shone wanly amid the smoky haze of the future. What a comfort this familiar object was to me. I was past shock over the time period, but I still loathed its bleakness. To pass the time, I asked Lucca to talk to me about the moon and what it was. I learned strange things about it, like that it caused the tides and that it orbited the world in such a way that we only ever saw half the moon.

'Lucca, stop boring everyone,' Crono grunted.

I turned to look at him, feeling slightly taken-aback. I had not seen Crono look so disgruntled before. Usually, he was quieter and had a much better temper.

Lucca said, 'Don't mind Crono. He's just edgy at the moment. You see, in order to reach Proto Dome, we must pass Lab 32 and it's full of mutants and robots.'

'Oh, okay.' I said. Fair enough, I thought ruefully. 'Hey, Lucca. I wonder about something. How are you able to understand – to use – the technology of this era? It's beyond our time.'

'Yeah,' said Crono. 'How do you do it?'

'Because I'm smart,' Lucca declared with a grin.

Crono snorted. 'Whatever. You might be a nerd in our era, but in this one, you'd be a dropout.'

Lucca sighed. 'To tell you the truth, I pretty much guessed. Educated guesses, of course,' she added hastily.

'Wow, you really are smart, Lucca,' I giggled. 'And all along we thought you knew what you were doing! Those were some pretty good guesses.'

'Ouch!' Crono had walked into a large unknown object. It was propped up on two rubber wheels. It was made of metal and nestled un top of it was a flat leather hide meant to be sat on. The metal twisted and rose a few feet above the leather. It was another one of those things I had never seen before that belonged to this era.

'Is that Doan's Jet Bike?' Lucca wondered aloud as she bent forward to touch it.

A wailing sound filled the air and I jumped; the next moment I was surrounded by about four robots. They were the kind of things you mould read about in a science fiction novel but they looked very frightening in the flesh – or metal.

'Crono, help me!' I whimpered. Crono swung around.

'Marle!' Crono drew his sword and lunged forward to protect me-

'Hold it right there!'

Crono, Lucca and I turned our heads ever so slowly until we were faced with the newcomer. He looked vaguely like a human, until you noticed that wheels similar to those of Doan's Jet Bike were strapped to his back. If the bike man lay flat on his back he would become a bike himself, albeit, with a Mohawk and sunglasses.

The robots, so hostile before, reacted to the stranger's appearance with a vigour that put rabid fan girls to shame. 'Hey, it's...!' '...The MAN!' This was followed by loud cheers and what looked like some dance sequences. The robots (horrible dancers, by the way) had completely forgotten our existence. I was so shocked and amused at their behaviour that I forgot to take advantage of it.

'Like, thanks for the introduction, babe!' said the newcomer. To the robots.

I blinked.

'But you lowlifes can call me Johnny,' he went on. To us.

Again, blink.

'Now listen up,' said Johnny. 'Part of an old highway leads through these ruins. Think you can beat me in a bike race? Use that Jet Bike and.. don't chicken out, babe!'

Calling us babe. How rude to consider us children. It was all one could expect from the impetuous youth of the future.

Crono stood there; for some reason, he had been blushing the whole time. Lucca caught my eye and we winked at each other; then slowly, we both turned to Crono.

'Didn't you say you were the male of the group?'

'Did I now?'

'Yes, you did.'

'Oh, okay then.'

Long story short, we got Crono onto the bike.

The robot fan girls escorted Lucca and I to the other end of Lab 32 to wait for the results of the race. I felt slightly uncomfortable, but what can you say? I was entertained. At last, the hot guy with the muscles (Crono) was going to prove his manhood.

'This is a match, so to speak, between me and you,' I declared to the robot fan girls. 'Just who can be the better fan girl?'

I glared. They glared back. Oh how we glared.

We didn't have to wait very long for Crono and Johnny to come racing on their wheels. They were roaring along at unimaginable speeds. Who could have known such velocity could be obtained in the future? I could see it astounded Lucca because she kept fiddling with her glasses.

'Go, the Man!' the robot fan girls cheered. I looked at them wryly. Robots aren't the most nubile things around. They didn't make the best cheerleaders. I could so totally envision myself as being the better fan girl here. _I _was going to win.

'Go, Crono!' I waved my arms frantically in encouragement. I cheered, I screamed, I did what I could. Crono was neck-in-neck with Johnny. Sometimes he got ahead of Johnny, sometimes behind. But the two always stayed close. Kind of like siblings.

'Who's going to win?' Lucca gasped.

The tension thickened as the racers drew closer to the finishing line. It was amazing how Crono could handle a Jet Bike so well. It looked hard to control. 'It must be the punk rocker in Crono!' I wondered aloud. The only thing that could enahnce the imagery now would be a black jacket and sunnies for Crono.

The robot fan girls were screaming. Well, no. Their pitch didn't rise but the volume of their toneless cheering raised and that made their words of encouragement sound funny. 'The Man shall win! Oh yes he shall!'

I glared. They glared back. Oh how we glared.

I whipped back round to Crono. 'You can win, Crono! I love you!'

Oh, whoops. Did I say that? Eh heh heh heh heh heh heh. I think Crono heard me because his eyes went wide, his face went red and his bike stopped pumping along nearly as fast as before.

WOOSH!

Johnny roared straight past me and the noise he made deafened me, I swear.

Ten seconds later…

Poop.

With a tired-sounding exhaust, Crono's bike rattled by. Crono's eyes were twitching.

So were mine; so were Lucca's.

'My granny rides faster than that!' Johnny taunted, absolutely splitting with laughter. I wondered briefly; if Johnny's laughter had expression in it, which it did, did that mean he was human?

I was distracted from these random musings by the robot fan girls jeering at _my _incompetency at being a fan girl. Things like: 'You're worthless!' and 'Give it up! Go home!'

I comforted myself in the knowledge that the robots were probably laughing at Crono, not me.

'The old fart's bike is at least one-hundred years old!' Crono insisted. 'I demand a rematch!'

'Ha! What losers!' Johnny said scornfully and he turned around and drove off. The other robots followed him. I shook my fist balefully after them as they were drawing away too fast for me to pursue and wallop.

Crono too had been aroused, I noticed. Erm. I mean angered. His competetive nature had been stirred by defeat and he didn't like it at all. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

Lucca said pretty much the same thing. 'You'll just have to get over your wounded ego. We have places to go.'

'I'm very sorry, Crono,' I said as we walked on.

He looked at me. 'Why?' he asked.

I sighed, not knowing where to begin. 'As far as I'm concerned, one needs a very big ego to take on Lavos,' I laughed. 'So your confidence in yourself shouldn't have been shaken by today.'

'It's fine,' said Crono. 'Defeat is necessary.'

I hadn't really known what he meant by that. Fiercely competetive myself, I had always believed that life was a game. And there were three outcomes in a game: Victory, defeat or a draw. I knew which of the three I wanted to take from life.

In the distance, in the waning moon's shine, Proto Dome loomed ahead.

**Preview**

I don't see a gate here. Oh no, how are we going to get back home now? Oh wait, I see a dusty old robot here! Not that I'm too, er, fond of robots at the moment, but maybe it can help us! Next time in the Long Weekend, The robot and the Gate in Proto Dome! See you soon!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 The Robot and the Gate in Proto Dome**

Is Lucca for real?

'Hey, Lucca, why do you always wear a helmet? Are you afraid of getting a concussion or something?'

I unashamedly asked _the _question to ask Lucca Ashtear. _The _question - mostly because I was bored and didn't want the group to walk stiffly in silence towards Proto Dome. Oh behold my tenacity!

'No, because I'm a scientist!' was Lucca's answer.

'How many scientists do you see walking around with giant silicon helmets strapped to their heads?!'

'I made it when I was ten!'

'Well, that explains all, doesn't it?'

'Shh!' Crono whispered, the mindless dribble obviously irking him. 'We're here! Proto Dome!'

Now that I was standing right in front of the entrance of the Dome, I finally turned my attention to the new, exotic location where we had arrived.

Proto Dome was bigger than both Bangor Dome and Arris Dome. It gave me the impression of once being a great city filled with lights, hubbub and splendour. Now it all lay rotting, a forgotten relic of the times long gone.

Very cautiously, Lucca, Crono and I entered through the front gate. The moon did not shine very well inside the Dome and so light was at best dim. We could not see any movement in the dark. Taking this to be a good sign, we shuffled inside. The moment we did so, however-

RING! RING!

'Intruder alert! Intruder alert!'

'Bugger!' Lucca cursed. 'Figures there would be security.'

Bugger indeed. For three robots approached us now. Each had bendy joints that didn't look stiff like the ones of the other robots we had encountered. They weren't very tall hunched over as they were; in fact, the top of them just reached my middle. Above the legs one mechanical "Eye" gleamed and all of them had it. Bugger indeed.

'Well, well,' I smiled wickedly, 'let's "deactivate" them, shall we?'

Before I could set out to do so, Crono had already savagely attacked one of the Buggers with his sword (I'm calling them that because the word is now stuck in my head). Full of gentlemanly qualities he may be, Crono had some kind of split personality that only revealed itself when he drew his sword. Blood type AB, I reckon.

While Crono was revealing his demonic sword powers, so to speak, Lucca was shooting down the Bugger that was approaching her. I turned to face my own Bugger. It was hopping – like a frog – towards me. I had had an experience of robots acting in a non-mechanical manner, so the revelation of hopping security bots was nothing new to me. I pulled out my crossbow and aimed to shoot. Suddenly a bright light shone from my foe's eye. It was so bright and unexpected my bolt went in an entirely different direction.

THWOCK!

Crono's sword came spinning out of his hand. I had accidentally disarmed him. Oops.

'Eek! Crono!' I screamed because the Bugger had jumped on top of me. It hurt and it was slightly traumatizing. I saw Crono glance at his sword just out of arm's reach and then at me in my painful dilemma. A lot of dead weight was on top of me, threatening to squeeze the air out of my lungs.

Lucca came to the rescue, having already demolished her Bugger. She ran over, held up the Zonker-38 and shouted, 'Hypno Wave!'

The Bugger completely stopped moving. I blinked. 'Is it dead?'

'No,' said Lucca, 'it's asleep.'

I crawled out from beneath the sleeping Bugger. 'Take this, you shiny metal object of great annoying properties!' I held a crossbow bolt and stabbed the Bugger. The bolt, sharpened to a very high degree, went right through the Bugger's metal armor and cut into the wiring below. I have no qualms against striking a sleeping enemy. Well, only sleeping Buggers. The Bugger trembled slightly and then turned off, a robot's version of death.

Meanwhile, Crono had retrieved his sword and was charging down the last remaining Bugger. A few sharp THWOCKs and his foe lay turned off too.

Crono was not happy with me. 'You're so USELESS, Marle!' he shouted.

I was too outraged for words.

Crono had been on an adrenaline rush. As I had described before, all he had cared about for a few brief moments was fighting. During that time, he was prone to feeling elation entwined with aggravation. That is, he gets pissed off easily. After that, he is sweet and caring, if a little on the indecisive side. If I had accidentally hit him with a crossbow bolt when he hadn't been fighting, he would have forgiven me. Even though I knew all that, it didn't stop me from marching up to Crono and slapping him on the face, instantly snapping him out of his irritated state. Too bad I was the one who was ticked-off now.

Soon, though, I was much too depressed to be outraged. Crono didn't like me as much as Lucca. Lucca was smart, clever, dependable. In Crono's opinion, I was not. I had spent a long time trying to learn the crossbow so I wouldn't be useless. Evidently, I had not practised hard enough.

Crono looked as affronted with himself as I was at him. He stuttered, 'M-Marle, I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said!'

I didn't reply to Crono. Deep down, he probably thought I _was _useless but was too considerate to say so.

Wait! I thought suddenly. Since when has Crono's opinion of me ever mattered? It wasn't like he was my boyfriend or anything!

But still, I really couldn't forgive Crono for what he had said, what he thought...

Lucca saw how I felt and came over to me. 'It's all right, Marle,' she said, 'Crono gets angry at me, too. He's just human, you know.'

'All the same,' I declared, 'he should learn some tact.'

Crono stared down at his feet and did not say anything. What a nincompoop, I thought scornfully.

While my anger was cooling down, I shivered and felt very frightened. I jumped at every noise, at every flicker of the shadows. I was scared. I was apprehensive. I could not see any better with my eyes opened or closed. The Dome itself stank eerily of body odour and blood. I wanted to puke.

There were rats in this Dome too, I discovered. They had bulging eyes and almost looked cute if it weren't for the fact that their fur was matted and stank like rotton eggs. Whenever we came near, the rats scuttled away. Crono did not seem to be in the mood to chase rats this time around.

It was when we had left the dark corridor behind us that Lucca stopped and pointed upward. 'Look,' she scried, 'a hole in the ceiling!'

She was right. A bit of masonry had crumbled through the roof and moonlight shone through, illuminating the scene below. There was nothing but bits of rubble and a lump of metal. The room, however, was not closed off. There was a closed door on the other side. Could it be what was between us and the Time Gate Lucca had identified?

I tried the door. 'The door won't budge.'

'Here, let me try,' Crono offered.

I immediately backed off. Crono had said what he did in a gentle voice, obviously trying to help me out and get himself in my good books again. It wasn't going to work. What was he trying to pull, making me out to be a damsel in distress?

Crono seemed to see something in my facial expression that didnn't please him. Sighing, he turned to the door. It didn't budge.

I gave Crono the courtesy of having the door to himself. It was then I laid my eyes on the lump of metal on the floor which I had previously ignored.

'Wh, what's this?' I stared and pointed. "Lump of metal" was such a nondescript description for what the thing was starting to look like to me. It was dusty and even rusty but not so rusty that I could not notice the individual parts of machinery. Instinctively, I knew what they were used for.

Lucca peered down and examined it. 'It's in bad shape...' she muttered, and then exclaimed, '...but it appears to be a humanoid robot!' She whistled appreciatively and fiddled with her glasses. 'Incredible!'

Crono, bored with trying the door, looked to see what the fuss was about. 'Well, what can you do?' he asked Lucca.

She was silent for a moment, just staring at the lump of metal cross humanoid robot. A giant speck of dust fell on the rim of her glasses. Frowning slightly, she blew it away. The dramatic silence had been broken.

'I think I can fix it,' she stated bluntly.

I stared at her for a whole second before replying incredulously, 'What?! It might attack us!' I thought about the Guardian, I thought about Johnny. Neither, in my opinion, had been pleasant encounters.

Lucca sighed heavily. 'I'll make sure it won't. Machines aren't capable of evil...' (I wrinkled my nose.) '...Humans make them that way.'

I stopped. In my head, I saw the girl who loved science. She couldn't help but notice how differently other people seemed to handle and regard science; it was just a new-fangled thing to them, and nobody really understood or cared much for it. Just like how nobody understood what it meant to be a princess.

'Lucca, you...pity them don't you?'

Gruffly, Lucca responded, 'Let me get to work now, okay?'

I nodded silently. I sat down on the dusty floor hugging my knees and watched Lucca. She had her head down and was already making use of her quick and efficient hands. First, she examined every inch of the robot's wiring. Then she started to clip it together and recharge it with energy from her Zonker-38. She dusted the robot and cleaned it, as if it were a loving family member. At that, I couldn't help but smile. The robot didn't know how in love Lucca was.

When I got bored of observing Lucca, I got up and started pacing the room. I had been doing this for roughly two seconds when I felt Crono briefly tap my shoulder.

'Have you got a moment?' he asked. From the downcast expression of his face I could see that he had been spending the last few minutes summoning the courage to talk to me.

As I was in a compassionate mood after watching Lucca with her robot, I said, 'Sure' and then I smiled and noticed him breathe a small sigh of relief.

As soon as we were alone, Crono talked to me. 'Marle?' he asked in his gentle voice.

I wasn't particularly upset with Crono but I liked the attention he was giving me so I chose not to say anything.

'Marle? There's something I want to confess…' Crono went on.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that this was playing out EXACTLY like a cheap romance novel. The man would admit to the woman that he was in love and then the two would share a passionate kiss…

'Marle!' Crono half-shouted. 'Are you even listening?'

'Oh, yes,' I said distractedly, still imagining a make-believe love scene, 'go on.'

He went through the expected earnest explanation that he did not think I was weak; no, he actually admired my personality. Then he said, 'Ever since I set eyes on you at the fair, I had a feeling…'

Oh, here we go.

'…that you were rich,' he finished.

Oh, okay then. Um...

'So I planned to steal your pendant and sell it,' Crono said hastily. Then he went red. 'I'm sorry, I couldn't bear being dishonest with you. You probably hate me now.'

'You wanted to steal what was mine under my very nose?' I demanded very hotly. 'And I trusted you, you-'

I stopped. It occurred to me that Crono might have confessed his sin as another his way of apologizing for earlier.

'-can keep the pendant,' I continued. Crono blinked change of attitude. Heck, I was surprised myself. 'After all,' I went on, 'you'd need it more than I do.'

He flashed me a grateful, innocent smile. 'Thanks for the pendant.' He pulled the pendant _from his pocket _and started to examine it leisurely.

My eyes twitched. 'In your hurry to confess your sinful desires, did you forget to tell me that you had already stolen my pendant? My mother's pendant, my precious family heirloom?'

Lucca came hurrying into the scene. 'I've finished repairing the robot, I-'

She blinked. I was on top of Crono trying to snatch my pendant back. The awkwardness of the situation struck me and I laughed nervously. So much for the love scene I had imagined.

* * *

'Right, that does it!' Lucca said cheerfully when we returned to room of the robot and the sealed door. 'I'm going to give it some juice!'

She did so. Then she stood up and backed up next to me, a confident sort of expression on her face. Seeing that made me feel relieved. If Lucca couldn't foresee a failure then that was good. I wilfully told myself to forget when Lucca had told me that all the times she had successfully handled machines in this era had been through sheer dumb luck.

After a moment, a whirring sound emitted from the robot. Instinctively, I stepped back, brandishing my crossbow. Then I remembered Lucca's words from earlier. Robots weren't evil. Lucca had made sure this one wasn't. My arm fell limply by my side.

I hoped Lucca was right.

**Preview**

Well, I must say, bother all this. I'm going to go off and have some cool adventures on my own for a while. You'll see me, the heroine, running off into the Sewer Access and braving all sorts of horrific dangers. Well, not exactly horrific, but still, it's definitely worth seeing the next chapter, Journey to the Sewer Access! You're definitely coming, aren't you?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 Journey to the Sewer Access**

The robot turned out to be a very well-mannered thing. It was as giddy as a toddler on too much Soda Pop at the Millennial Fair. When I bid good morning to the robot, it bowed very humbly at my feet. I felt like a lady at a ball who had been asked to dance by a charming gentleman.

'Good morning, mistress,' the robot said. 'What is your command?'

Lucca was so right about how awesome robots were. 'I'm not your mistress,' I informed the robot lightly. 'I'm Marle!' Then I introduced my wonderful companions.

The robot hummed. 'Understood.' It appeared as if it was processing memory the same way a microwave would remember the minutes you set it to heat something up. 'Madam Lucca fixed me.'

'Just Lucca will do.'

For the first time, emotion covered the robot's words. 'Impossible,' it said anxiously. 'That would be rude.'

Lucca sighed and shook her head. 'Look, I hate formal titles! Don't you, Marle?'

'Hate 'em!'

The robot blinked its eyes. 'I understand, Lucca.'

Lucca beamed.

'All right! Now what's your name?'

'Name? Ah, my serial number.' The robot seemed like it was getting used to what it perceived as odd requests. 'It is R66-Y,' it intoned.

'R66-Y? Cool!' Lucca nodded her approval. Crono nodded along with her.

I really didn't like that name. Goodness knows how fussy I am about such things. I mean, what sort of name was R66-Y? I would never call my son R66-Y; he'd get teased by his classmates. Not that I have a son, of course, just hypothetically speaking.

'No! That won't do at all!' Turning to nudge Crono, who was nodding along with me, I said, 'Come on Crono, let's give him a better name!'

A brief brainstorm was held. Lucca was all for "Sapiendatum" (I was like, "What the hell?" too). After what seemed like an hour of arguing, we eventually settled on "Robo". The former R66-Y never stated whether he liked the name or not but he accepted it without any question at all. How I wish my father was like that.

Meanwhile, the newly christened Robo was gazing around the Dome with as much shock as a robot can convey. He evidently did not like the new look. 'What... What has happened here?' Robo would have gasped if he could. 'There WERE many humans and others of my kind in this dome.'

Lucca took the opportunity to impress upon Robo the task of finding the gate. Robo would have to be a pretty smart tool (no insult intended) to grasp the whole affair about Lavos, time-traveling and whatnot. I still have difficulty grasping it. Thankfully, though, Robo exceeded my expectations. Although I should have guessed that would be. After all, Robo was pretty cool.

When I informed Robo about the door behind him that we needed to pass, he merely nodded and said, 'The power is off.'

What a good explanation, huh?

Robo continued, 'If we go to the factory up north, I can pass through security and activate this dome's generator.'

I was surprised. 'You'd do that for us?'

'You repaired me,' Robo replied earnestly. 'Now it's my turn to help you.'

'Thank you,' said Crono. He sounded as bewildered as I felt.

Robo bowed his head in acknowledgment.

'But the generator won't run for long,' he added, 'so someone must stay behind to open the door while the power's on.'

Crono asked if we would have to force our way through the security just like we had to do in Arris Dome. When Robo replied that we might, Crono frowned and said, 'This might be dangerous.'

'Then Marle or I will stay,' Lucca said.

I already guessed who.

'Marle, could you, I mean...' Crono sighed. 'I don't think you're weak, but Robo's obviously got to be in, and Lucca's good with machines, so…'

I felt bitter but there was no need to say so. I didn't want to hurt Crono's feelings when he was trying to be considerate with me. 'Okay.' I took a deep breath. 'Please be careful, Crono!'

He nodded and looked at me. 'You too,' he told me. Then, 'Thank you.'

I waved to Crono, Lucca and Robo as they departed. Lucca and Robo were chatting like best pals as they left the Dome. Crono was silent, leading the way.

I was seething inside. Some friends I've got! I thought angrily. Leaving me behind! I felt very isolated and alone in the Dome, and the way the wind blew and howled chilled me to the core. I really didn't want to stay. I sat by the closed door for what seemed like my entire life. My emotions were very complicated. I was furious, scared, lonely and apprehensive all at once and these sentiments thrashed around in my stomach, making me feel ill. I knew I shouldn't feel this way. I knew that I really shouldn't be feeling jealous. But what could I do? It was a disease inside of me.

At last I could bear it no longer. I got to my feet and left the Dome, just like that. I felt guilty at my insubordination but I brushed this feeling away very irritably. The spirit of adventure had come upon me and I offered no resistance to my pounding impulse. I would return when I had walked it out of my system. I was driven and I cared nought for where I went.

The red, tired sun was now visible only from just beyond the mountains. After walking for about a mile, I spotted a hole in the ground. Curious, I came to examine it closer. It was big enough for a person to climb into. Then I saw the ladder and thought, how about that? I could not stop myself from climbing down the ladder, which was actually quite rickety. I had an ominous feeling, but recklessness overtook it and I eventually found myself in the hole.

What caught me at once was the smell. It was the scent of polluted water. I noticed then that I was in a sewer. The underground passage of this sewer was much larger than I had perceived initially and it went on for what seemed like miles. All the way along, the sewer was lit by putrid lamps set in strategic points. I call them putrid because the smell they gave forth was like really cheap perfume.

I was about to leave the place and explore elsewhere when I heard a now familiar wail of security robots.

I was on my guard immediately, but what approached me was a very small, airborne robot. 'Bandits!' it squeaked in a voice two octaves higher than Robo's. 'Must report to Sir Krawlie.'

Then it went off back in the direction from whence it came.

Now I had REALLY bad misgivings about the sewer. I stood poised to climb up the ladder when I felt some kind of animal instinct prickle in my skin. I turned around and saw to my horror that something alive had emerged from the water. It didn't look like a friendly mutant.

In Lab 13, I had faced another mutant, I recalled. This one was not like the other one from before. It was the more aquatic type, and it had a grin set on its face that chilled me to the core. It reminded me of a shark, not the best of news.

A sound of churning reached my ears and two more shark mutants were grinning at me. This wasn't good.

I picked up my crossbow, aimed and fired. I think I was getting slightly better at the crossbow. My very first bolt drove right into a shark mutant's head and punctured its brain. Without a murmur its lifeless body began to float upon the surface of the murky water. I was so shocked, I forgot about the other two mutants. I soon remembered when one of the mutants hopped out of the water and sank its sharp teeth onto my leg. I screamed because it stung really, really badly. I could see, Good Lord no… the mutant's teeth was stained with my blood. THIS WAS TORTURE!

'D-Die!' I whacked the mutant with my crossbow. It didn't let go. Blood was starting to dribble down my leg. I suddenly felt very faint as I looked at the other mutant submerging from the water.

I was in an extremely sticky situation and no one was about to rescue me. This was not how I picture my demise – all alone and devoured alive by mutants in a remote future. It was all too untimely for me. This could not be how it would end!

Suddenly, my pendant glowed. I had forgotten it was there since I had gotten it back from Crono. Now it was reacting just like it did from the time of the Telepod. It was weird. But I wasn't scared. The pendant was giving forth an aura and it made me feel warm and fuzzy as if I'd just received a hug. I looked down and saw the mutant had stopped biting me and - my heart skipped a beat - THERE WAS NO WOUND. Not even bite marks… Although my paints were still stained and my legs smudged with blood.

I skipped away from the mutant to avoid being bitten again and shot a bolt through its head. I aimed for the other one. The first bolt missed entirely but the second one slew the last remaining mutant. I breathed again.

After replacing my bolts, I picked up my pendant and stared at it. It didn't look too magical now. I shook it. Nothing happened. I hung it around my neck again. There was something mysterious about it but I couldn't figure out the answer myself. I was deeply curious. I made up my mind to ask Lucca about it at the next opportunity. After all, she knew everything. If she didn't, then Robo knew. Somebody did.

Meanwhile, I decided to keep going. The fight had exhilarated me. For some strange reason, I enjoyed being in danger. It gave me a thrill thinking of all the cool moves I did. It didn't matter about the presence of evil I felt lurked in the sewers. I would drive it out. I would master it yet.

As I walked along I thought about the name the security robot had mentioned. Who was Sir Krawlie? I supposed he was in charge of the place. In that case, I and my crossbow would be ready for him.

The silence deafened me. It reminded me of the basement in Arris Dome. Even though I was alone, I felt brave and rather cocky. Suddenly, I heard voices and didn't feel quite so brave any more. I leaned forward but lay in the shadows to listen.

'There was a bridge here! I SAW it, rrrribit!'

'Fool! Grribbit! There's nothing here!'

'B...but it's true, ribbit...'

I leaned even furhter forward to hear some more but apparently I was heard because then I heard:

'Someone's coming! Let's scram, grribbit!'

I caught a glimpse of two frog-like mutants scurrying down a ladder. I didn't know that mutants could speak.

'This is a tad on the spooky side...' I muttered to myself, but I decided to follow the frogs anyway. The ladder creaked slightly as I descended down it.

One of the frogs jumped.

'Did you hear that?' it asked, trembling slightly.

'You know how Sir Krawlie has set a lot of traps. We mustn't touch anything!' the other frog warned.

I examined the two frogs. The first frog looked a bit like the second's underling. They weren't actually green but the same murky color as their surroundings. I guess evolution had also brought them to stand on their two hind legs. They were also bigger than frogs from my time, about two feet tall. Other than that, they were exactly like normal frogs: bulging eyes, weird tongue, grossness – everything!

The frogs kept walking. 'I don't get why we're so weak! Reduced to living in sewers, huh!' the underling grumbled.

The boss hushed it. 'Shh! You never know who's listening!'

Poor froggies, I thought.

More walking. The frogs suddenly stopped.

'Don't touch it! It's a trap!' the boss hissed.

It was a piece of mouldy cheese. The frogs walked slowly around it, regarding it with fear on par with what one might regard Lavos with. I had a lot of difficulty keeping a straight face. Nevertheless, I avoided the cheese too.

It was remarkable how nothing attacked us. The frogs had a keen sense of avoiding "traps". As I said, remarkable. Several times I narrowly avoided laughing, which would have been bad for my trap-detectors.

After what seemed like an age of walking, we came across what looked like the switch. It was high up on the wall. I could have reached it, but the frogs certainly couldn't.

'Press the switch, and the bridge opens, ribbit!' the underling croaked happily.

'So, switch on, gribbit!' the boss grumbled.

The underling tried and failed to reach the switch.

'Riiiiiiiiibit! It's out of reach, ribbit!'

'And you call yourself a frog, ribbit, GRIBBIT.'

I decided to do something that would shock the frogs. I cleared my throat. Both frogs jumped and looked at me, eyes bulging wide. My heart began to beat. 'I-I can press the switch for you.'

The frogs didn't say anything. I walked towards the switch. The frogs started to back away. Why were they so mistrusting? I wondered.

I pressed the switch.

Instantly, a deep rumble came from within the sewer. I jumped and so did the frogs. 'Is… the bridge open?' I asked in a quaky sort of voice. The frogs didn't reply. They hopped away. 'W-Wait!' I gasped, running after them.

The frogs stopped. 'Quietly!' they whispered. Feeling very confused, I followed them. This was not normal.

Then I saw the bridge. It was very small and it covered the stinky sewer water very neatly. The lever, I saw, activated at the switch's push, toggling between the existence and non-existence of the bridge. I'm starting to think like Lucca, I thought.

Just as I had crossed the bridge, I heard the beeping of security robots. Oh no! 'Don't let the intruders escape!' or something along those lines. I glanced behind me and saw what looked like a bunch of robots similar to the one I saw when I entered. They were all coming towards the frogs and me. The frogs panicked. They hopped so quickly towards the ladder ahead that I thought they were cheetahs.

I realised I had to reach the ladder too! RUN! RUN! RUN!

'Terminate the intruder!' the robots screeched. They set off lasers. They were colorless, but they BURNED! However, I felt my pendant mend these scorches as I hurried up the ladder too. I had to get away. More lasers attacked me, but the pendant was sure doing its stuff. I managed to climb up the ladder to safety.

I couldn't believe it, but the frogs had stayed to help. Each frog grabbed hold of me and hoisted me up out of the sewer. This was as much of a curse as it was a blessing because they had grabbed hold of my hair. 'OUCH!' I screamed and then laughed. The outside air was not very clear, but it sure was an improvement after the sewer. I panted and breathed. I had never felt so exhilarated! 'Thank you so much!' I yelled gleefully at the frogs, but they had already started to hop away. Feeling slightly crestfallen, I sprinted to join them.

The scenery here at this side of the Sewer Access was different. It was slightly more natural, being surrounded by a long range of sheer cliffs. Maybe it was the utter ugliness of everything else I had seen at the future, but this mountain range looked more beautiful than anything I had previously seen. In this clearing, I saw two landmarks: the first was a very small Dome; the second was a large mountain at least a hundred meters higher than the other mountains.

'What's that?' I asked the frogs, pointing to the Dome.

To my surprise, the frogs answered. 'That's Keeper's Dome, the home of Belthazar.'

'Are we going there?'

'Yes.' The frogs answered.

After a moment's thought, I said, 'Cool.'

Keeper's Dome… would it be so good to take a detour now, with all the others waiting at the other side of the Sewer Access? The only way back to Proto Dome was through the Sewer Access. What a drag. I didn't feel much of an inclination to go back there, so I decided to go to Keeper's Dome.

Keeper's Dome was the only Dome that I had yet come across that wasn't cracked or at least slightly broken. However, it was only the size of a large house. It couldn't have been the home of a large population. There was only Belthazar there, whoever he was. The interior of the Dome was full of half-made inventions and scrap metal. It was exactly how I imagined Lucca's abode would resemble. All the machines giving a whirring noise, so I presumed they worked. One machine looked like the control panel Lucca had used to discover the existence of Proto Dome. Another machine looked like a door and it had a strange insignia craved on it. The door was jet black, but the insignia glowed white. I wondered what it was.

An old man was by the strange door that had attratced my attention. I didn't notice him until he spoke. 'Welcome,' he said to the frogs in a dry, reedy voice, 'I see you have returned, Masa and Mune.'

**Preview**

Who's this strange old man? Again, people seem to have problems knowing my name! This time, I'm Schala! Who's she, my descendant? And I've got to get back to Proto Dome too! Next time in the Long Weekend, Schala's pendant – Sir Krawlie's rage! See you soon!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 Schala's pendant – Sir Krawlie's rage**

The gentleman in front of me reminded me of Melchior, the old sword smith from the fair. It was the clothes, of course. Belthazar, as that was he, wore clothes very similar to Melchior's. They were robes of strange dyes and patterns and they dazzled my eyes, which were so used to bleakness. Belthazar was not as portly as Melchior, but he sure had a comparable moustache. Belthazar, however, looked frailer than Melchior. I had the feeling that Belthazar was nearing the end of his life. Perhaps it was the sickly air of the future, for Belthazar and Melchior had to be around the same age. Or maybe (this was an equally valid theory), Belthazar was getting elderly anyway.

The frogs Masa and Mune hopped up and down. They looked so cute! 'Hello, Belthazar!' they chirped. 'We've brought a friend!'

'A friend?' Belthazar examined me. I felt as if I were being x-rayed. 'Hello, Schala,' he said finally.

The man was insane.

'I don't think that's Scahla,' said Masa.

'Wait!' I cried. 'Who's Schala?'

'She was the owner of that pendant,' Belthazar explained, pointing at my pendant.

Was Schala my descendant? Perhaps she owned the pendant in this era!

My hopes were burst when Mune said, 'That pendant's only a copy.'

I wasn't the only one who was taken aback by this declaration, as I soon saw.

'How?' croaked Masa.

'The charm on it is only an imitation of Zealian magic,' Mune declared. 'I'd say it was made at around 1 AD, the start of Guardia.'

Where did the frogs learn their history? This was amazing! 'Could you tell me more about this pendant?' I asked.

Masa shrugged. 'We weren't there at the time,' he said.

'Oh.' I was terribly disappointed. How I wanted to know more about my pendant! Right from the time it had interfered with the Telepod I had known that there was a splendid secret about it and I wanted to find out the details. 'Could you tell me more about the charm, then?'

'It's a healing charm,' said Mune; 'it heals external wounds almost instantly, but I don't think it would heal internal injuries.'

'Like, it doesn't stop you getting old or cure an illness,' Masa corroborated.

That explained my mother's death…

'The original pendant,' I began, 'does stop you from dying of illness, doesn't it?' Something was clicking in my mind.

'We've told you enough!' Belthazar said sharply. 'It's high time you were getting back to where you belong!'

…Did I say something wrong?

'Goodbye!' Masa and Mune both ribitted. They hopped and waved.

'But I want to know more about the pendant!' I insisted.

'I think you know enough for the time-being,' Belthazar replied. Stupid old men.

'All right then…' I muttered ruefully. I really did want to investigate further. 'See you, then.'

I walked out of the Dome and started back to the Sewer Access. I was full of thought all the way there. So my pendant had a charm on it. But who cast it and why? And how did it fall in the hands of the Royal Family? And who was this Schala? How did Masa and Mune know her? Was this all a product of insanity? I liked to think that Belthazar was raving; after all, he did look it. But the charm explanation did answer the question of why the pendant interfered with the Telepod and why it healed me when I was in peril. Of course I needed answers. After all, there was something about that pendant…

I was about to think even more deeply when I realized I was at the ladder leading to the Sewer Access. I hesitated, wanting to go back to Keeper's Dome, but then I remembered Crono, Lucca and Robo. Shame, guilt and resolve flooded over me. I had promised to help them out. I didn't know how long I had spent out. Perhaps it was too late already. With new haste, I climbed down the ladder and was greeted with quite a shock.

I heard voices.

'The human's almost here!' a familiar, high-pitched, robotic voice stated.

An unfamiliar, growling voice answered, 'Coming through the sewer like she owns it! She must have a death wish! We shall teach her a lesson!' This had to be Sir Krawlie.

Surely they weren't talking about me?

'Let's show 'em. HEE HEE!'

Okay, that was random.

'Just let her come through here! She'll be chopped liver!' A pause then, 'Hahahahahaha' which the guard reciproacted with a 'Heeheeheeheehee!' and then there was a 'Harharharhar!' and a 'HAHAHAHAHA!' and a 'HEEEEHEEEEEHEEE!'

I used to be overcome with dread, but now I wasn't. This was getting ridiculous. I suddenly slipped on the ladder. With a scream I fell, but it wasn't long before I landed on something hard and scaly – Sir Krawlie!

The robot guard beeped in surprise and left, just like that. Only Sir Krawlie was there and he didn't seem to appreciate being a cushion. He was, I realized, a very large, very ugly centipede. He had no sting but he did possess quite a long blue tongue. His hide was a greyish color that blended well in the surroundings. Sir Krawlie, indeed, was the Lord of the Sewers. If he wasn't so scary, he would've been rather funny in his shock and rage. 'Huh?' was all he said.

And with that, the fight commenced.

Sir Krawlie attempted to claw at me. I jumped backwards and just raised my crossbow when – WOOMP! Sir Krawlie had twisted around and hit me with the rear part of his body which I shall call his tail for convenience. (It really wasn't a tail.)

My body went flying and didn't stop until I had collided with the wall. The pendant mended my cracked spine but it didn't stop me being winded. I was absolutely breathless. I sank to the floor, clutching my chest. My crossbow I had dropped beside Krawlie and it was just beyond my reach. Krawlie tried his trick again. I saw his tail coming straight for me and I ducked. The tail hit the wall and the sound ricocheted off it like a gong. My head still down, I dashed for my crossbow. Krawlie was trying to dislodge his tail from the wall. When he saw me, he attempted to claw me again. I knew my pendant would protect me, so I didn't bother dodging.

Big mistake.

The claw tore at my pendant and snapped the chain securing it to my neck. The pendant slipped off and bounced several meters away from me. I was glad it didn't break. However, I didn't know which to choose: crossbow or pendant.

Krawlie tried to claw me again. Instinctively, I raised my arms to shield myself. The claws raked my skin, tearing it to the bone. I felt nothing for a whole moment, then suddenly my nerves figured out I was injured and that was when the pain began. I could barely move in the agony. Half blind with pain, I lunged for the pendant. Krawlie's tail suddenly caught me again, this time crippling me at the feet.

I couldn't keep going. The pain was just too much then. I just wanted to revel in my world of torture.

But something urged me to get the pendant. It would ease the suffering. I ducked, and this time my fingers curled around the shimmering pendant. Instantly, its magic began to work, mending my wounds. It was like dipping into a cool stream in a hot day. There was no pain. It didn't block my senses like I drug would, it only took away the pain.

I ducked again, this time aiming for the crossbow. I picked it up, loading as I ran off with it. I stood completely out of Krawlie's range and fired. The bolt embedded into Krawlie's skin. I reloaded and fired three more times, weaving to avoid Krawlie's strikes. My hands moved to reload automatically now. I did not even need to look at myself doing it. Krawlie was growling with rage. My elusiveness and my bolts were irritating him, I could see. I aimed for the eyes now. I had to get a bit closer for them. My first bolt grazed the eye but I didn't manage a direct hit. Krawlie growled once more. He took a swipe at me and barely missed. I reloaded and fired. Bulls-eye. Krawlie absolutely HOWLED with pain. He thrashed about quite frantically.

One last time I fired. This time I had managed Krawlie's brain. The beast shuddered and then lay very still. He now resembled a pincushion with the bolts protruding from him. A dark blue fluid was oozing from his various wounds. I took this to be blood.

Unbelievable, yes, but I had slain a very large creature. I was quite impressed by my handiwork. Krawlie looked ugly even in death. I prodded him a few times, just to make sure he had met his demise. He had.

It occurred to me then that I couldn't afford to waste any more time dithering about. So I took off, running for Proto Dome. I had to be in time; I had to be in time. I couldn't bear to think about the consequences if I wasn't.

**Preview**

I don't feel like spoiling the next chapter of the story right now, so I'll only give you the title: To the End of Time and back! I hope my friends are okay!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 To the End of Time and Back**

I don't feel the need to describe the journey back to Proto Dome. It was boring exposition to me and besides, it all went by in a blur so I can't really comment on it too articulately. When I reached Proto Dome with my heart thumping loudly in my chest, I reached the sealed door and tried it. It opened.

I can't say exactly how relieved I was because that feeling was a blur too, now that I try to remember it. But I do remember heaving out a long, long sigh and then sitting down on the cold floor feeling warm.

It was only a few minutes of eventless waiting later that I heard the noises indicating that Crono, Lucca and Robo had returned. I couldn't wait to tell them about all of my adventures. Only, I forgot all about them when my friends came in.

Lucca and Crono were dragging unidentified robot parts into the room, and Robo was nowhere to be seen. My heart gave a terrific thump when I realised that the miscellanous robot parts _were _Robo - and he was in a worse state than when we had found him. 'What happened?!' I asked, taken-aback.

'We met up with a bunch of security robots,' Crono explained, 'and Robo thought he could talk with them because they came from the same series as him.'

I remained that Robo had told us his name was R66-Y. R66 must have been his serial name. I nodded in understanding of this. 'And?' I prompted.

Lucca quickly explained. 'Robo's old robot friends turned on him. And they... they...' She sniffed and I could see angry tears sprouting in her eyes. She had been brooding on it all the journey back, that was obvious.

Crono didn't look as fiery as Lucca but he was forlorn as well. 'By the time we got them off Robo, he was like that.' He pointed at the many parts still yet to be fixed back onto Robo's form.

I figured the two of them must have been through some strife.

Lucca stubbornly refused to go through the door until she had fixed Robo again. But I would never have pressed her anyway because by the sounds of it, Robo had been very brave. The least we could do was stick by him.

It was terrible. 'I'm so sorry, Robo!' I gasped. I couldn't believe anyone could be so cruel. To have who you called friends completely surround you and strike at you… it had to be tormenting. I couldn't understand it. Lucca had said robots weren't evil, and Robo had certainly seemed quite nice to me. Was, perhaps, Robo an outcast in his society, bullied merely because he wasn't atrocious like the rest?

Poor Robo.

* * *

While Crono and I had gone off to leave Lucca at it, this is how I imagine the scene between Lucca and Robo must have went. (I'm a hopeless romantic.)

_There was a dull humming sound that was accompanied by a flicker of light from Robo. He sat, conscious yet not conscious; alive yet not alive; noticing dimly that someone was fixing his wires. Every second that elapsed strengthened Robo's system. He was being rejuvenated. However, it may perhaps not be for him what it is for us. As a machine, Robo was not alive and so he did not feel pain. He did, however, feel his energy restore, as whoever was repairing him was also recharging his battery. _

_It took a long time for Robo's sensors to distinguish his helper. 'C...can you r...repair...me?' the robot would have gasped. Instead, his voice remained neutral._

_'Shh, don't talk,' whispered Lucca. She was reattaching one of Robo's missing arms. _

_Robo disobeyed. He had never disobeyed before._

_'You...are trying to save the world?'_

_'I don't know how far we'll get, but that's the plan.' She was silent for a moment, comtemplating. Then she turned back to him. 'Anyway Robo, what are you going to do when you're repaired?'_

_Robo felt, for the first time, so confused that he stumbled over his next words. ''What am I...going to do?' he repeated, bewildered._

_'Yeah.' Lucca nodded. 'I mean, what plans do you have the future?' Her tone was light. She may have been a hairdresser._

_Robo was silent for a moment. He thought there must have been something wrong with how Lucca had wired him because there was inexplicable feeling, this _fuzziness _that had come upon him. 'Lucca,' he exclaimed, 'no one has ever asked me that before!'_

Ah, the joys of "love".

And meanwhile Crono and I, unable to help Lucca for fear of being more of a hindrance than a help in our ignorance of machines, were bored out of our brains.

We started chatting. I could hardly believe that this was the first time Crono and I were chatting about normal things, such as our favorite bands ('I can't believe you like Catalack too!'), hobbies and interests. We talked a while about the latest theatre acts and which celebrities were hot, which was rather funny because I was the princess of Guardia. Even though I felt this peculiar sense of attraction towards him, I found it rather ironic how Crono and I could just settle down and talk about normal things so easily after recounting our amazing adventures to each other. It's true what they say, that sharing near-death experiences together bring people closer. I think. I'm not really sure.

I suppose you're wondering how far I was getting with Crono. I don't know particularly why I liked him. I guess only teenage hormones could explain it. I had a sudden urge to hug Crono but then wondered how he would react. I wasn't certain whether he felt the same way about me. He never said anything. And we weren't fated to say anything this time. He didn't bring anything up and I didn't want to be the one who would do it. Stupid, you might think. After all, I'm a lot more confident about nearly everything else. I could face Lavos; I could not face Crono.

It took hours for Lucca to repair Robo. I can't explain exactly what she did but her hands moved surely and confidently. There was certainly an art to repairing machines. But you can only watch something like that for so long. I took a nap.

When I woke up, Lucca had propped up Robo, took away her equipment and stood back with a satisfied look on her face.

'Good morning,' said Robo in his usual polite way.

'Robo! You're all right!!' I heaved a _really _heavy sigh of relief.

Crono nodded at Robo and, with a pleasant smile on his face, said, 'You look great.'

It was like looking at a person with really bad fashion sense get dressed up by a stylist. Or like getting a really good meal at a restaurant. I had to compliment the genius at work here. 'Lucca, you're incredible!'

Instead of her usual false modesty-thing, Lucca only wiped her brow and groaned, 'I hope I never have to do that again...' Maybe she was too tired.

Robo spoke up. 'Lucca, I have made up my mind. I want to go with you...'

'Pardon?' I said, immediately. Maybe there actually _had _been romance between Robo and Lucca. Usually, I just imagined all this weird stuff in my head.

'Why do you want to come with us, Robo?' Crono asked curiously.

'There is nothing left for me here,' the poor robot lamented in a voice no different than his normal one. 'Together, maybe we can give this planet of ours a chance.'

There was a very funny thing about Robo's personality, as far as a machine goes. Despite being manhandled to the worst degree by this world, he still believed in saving it and making it a better place. I had read books where the characters who had similar experiences to them just wanted to screw up the world and get revenge. You know, I'm rather tempted to think (as Lucca thinks) that Robo is a lot nicer a person than a lot of humans out there. His mind is simple and child-like, not complex like an adult's. And all robots are like that, in a sense. Even if they are a lot better at algebra then I am.

Anyway, to get back to the story, we opened The Door and Lucca exclaimed, 'Then let's go! The Gate's up ahead!!'

I jumped to my feet. We were only in a small chamber littered with metal scraps. One spot lay completely scrap-free. It was there I saw the blue vortex that was the Gate (I need hardly describe it to you again). 'All right,' said Crono; 'be careful, everyone!' How leader-ish of him.

At last we had found our Gate; at last we could leave the future. Finally! It was much too depressing and the air was so full of smog it was difficult to breath. 'Hang on to your shorts!' Lucca advised everyone as she pulled out her shiny Gate Key and shoved it into the Gate. Just liked the other Gates it expanded and swallowed us whole.

My whole adventure flashed through my mind as I jumped in, and as I fell into the darkness, I saw the vivid images in my mine, re-enacting all that had occurred so far.

When Crono, Lucca and I jumped into the Gate to escape from my father and the corrupt chancellor, we didn't expect to find ourselves to find ourselves in a remote future. We had heaps of adventures in 2300 AD, like racing Johnny "The Man" on a Jet Bike, journeying through a futuristic Dome in search of food and getting attacked by random mutants. I discovered my pendant has a powerful charm on it, dating from the beginning of Guardia itself. During our travels, we repaired a robot and, inventively, nick-named him Robo. The worst thing about this era, however, was when we found out this being named Lavos, who came up from the ground and destroyed civilization in 1999 AD. Now we're off to stop him, but first, we're going to do research about him in 1000 AD – and that's where the Gate in Proto Dome comes in. Did it actually lead to 1000 AD?

**Preview**

This is a dream, this is a dream. Any moment I'm going to wake up. Pinch me, Robo. OUCH! Okay, so maybe this isn't a dream. Hmm? Who's behind that door? The God of War, huh? Let me see! Next time in the Long Weekend, The God of War – Spekkio! See you soon!


	19. Chapter 19

It looks like no one got the old Bible quote, although AkaiKamiRyu came sort of close. It is John 1:5, for all those Bible nuts, and it does concern the creation of the universe. Another random note about Guardia is that the people use the word "Reptite" as we use "Dinosaur". Basically, they both died at around the same time in history. I've fixed some typos that littered the original chapter (bad typos!). In my haste, they always turn up... And I've expanded on Gaspar's theory to suit the Kapanese version. I like the japanese version, they drink a lot of sake. Also, it appears I forgot the disclaimer in this chapter when it first came out, so I'd better add it now! This chapter was last updated 30/9/07

**Disclaimer: Frog Lady does not own Chrono Trigger. This novelization has not been approved by "The Big Three" and all the other random people that worked on Chrono Trigger.**

Review replying!

**AkaiKamiRyu: **Thanks for the review! Just to let you know, the Crono Marle romance is based off some of my own experiences and that particular "freaking out" thing is copied almost word for word from that… incident… Also, it was great how you guessed the quote concerned the creation of the universe. You're very smart, even though it didn't turn out to be from Genesis. As for the magic, you're getting an introduction to it this chapter but it's next chapter the gang will really start learning it.

**Krait: **Thanks for the review! And thanks you for saying nice things about my Marle. She's my girl! (Crono: Hey! Me: Shut up, Crono!) Of course, I don't think Lucca and Robo are romantically involved because it would be a bit wrong for a robot to fall in love with a person. Nevertheless, I think Robo has a place in Lucca's heart. Or something. I've got the next few chapters written on paper but I don't think Ill get the opportunity to type them up in a while. And yes, you identified the Bible Quote but you know you didn't tell me where it was from. Oh well. Happy reading!

**x.OAsamiMatsudaO.x: **Finally, you've reviewed, Duckie! Geez! Took your time! I'm glad you like this narrative. You haven't seen the canon, have you? But maybe you can tell what I've made up and when I've stuck to the original storyline. 'Sapiendatum' is obviously made up. Glad you like it, though. I love constructive criticism so hurry up with it, please. With sugar on top? Btw, posted Haunted Dreams yet?

* * *

The Gate flashed eerily. Then it closed around us. I wondered what was wrong. It was too late to turn back. Everything had already gone black. 

When Crono, Lucca and I jumped into the Gate to escape from my father and the corrupt chancellor, we didn't expect to find ourselves to find ourselves in a remote future. We had heaps of adventures in 2300 AD, like racing Johnny "The Man" on a Jet Bike, journeying through a futuristic Dome in search of food and getting attacked by random mutants. I discovered my pendant has a powerful charm on it, dating from the beginning of Guardia itself. During our travels, we repaired a robot and, inventively, nick-named him Robo. The worst thing about this era, however, was when we found out this being named Lavos, who came up from the ground and destroyed civilization in 1999 AD. Now we're off to stop him, but first, we're going to do research about him in 1000 AD – and that's where the Gate in Proto Dome comes in.

I opened my eyes. The time-traveling thrill had elapsed and yet all I saw was the darkness. There was an old man leaning against the lamp post. He was snoring gently. Gradually, the old man stirred. I held my breath. What was this man going to do?

**Chapter 19 The God of War - Spekkio**

'Welcome to the End of Time.' The old man sounded as if he had uttered this phrase a million times before. 'My name is Gaspar and I will be your tour – erm, I mean, time-traveling guide. Please enjoy your stay.'

Maybe craziness came with age. 'Uh, why are we here?' asked Lucca uncertainly. 'I'm sure this Gate would have connected with 1000 AD.'

'That's true,' said Gaspar, 'however, your theory is challenged by the Conservation of Time Rule. When four or more beings of diverse time periods enter a Gate, it takes them to the Point of Least Resistance. Here. This is because,' Gaspar continued, 'the amount of complex matter arranged in an organism seriously opposes the Gate's capacities, especially so when they are at different stages of evolution. The Gate can handle three organisms, but a larger number would be corrupt the continuum's pull. Recently, the number of visitors like yourselves has increased to a considerable stage. You maybe be aware that there is something that is bending the very fabric of time itself.' Gaspar sounded as if he had swallowed a text book. The amount of his speech I actually understood is rounded UP to 0 percent. Later, I found out the translation. Here it is:

_Four people or more of different time periods can't enter a Gate or else they'd go to the End of Time. Random people like me have been appearing here because something coughLavoscough has been doing weird things to time._

'What are those pillars of light for?' asked Crono, pointing.

'I won't say anything until you respect my social status.' Gaspar snapped.

Crono cocked his head.

'I meant, say "sir" and "please".' Gaspar sighed. 'Youngsters these days…'

'Excuse me, sir,' Robo began in his usual courteous tone, 'will you please explain the purpose of those pillars of light?'

Gaspar smiled broadly. 'Now here's a gentleman!' he cooed.

'Gentle-it.' Crono muttered. I giggled. _Suck_, I thought.

'The pillars of light are Gates,' Gaspar explained, 'if you touch one, it will take you directly to the corresponding Time Period. The first Gate is to Proto Dome, 2300 AD; the second is the village of Medina, 1000 AD; the third is to the Mystic Mountains, 65000000 BC.'

We had just come from Proto Dome, so you know all about that. Medina, just to refresh your memory, is the colony of mystics that are still opposed to Guardia (that's a lot of them). I have no idea about the Mystic Mountains. And 65000000 BC sounds ever so ancient. Wasn't that the date when the reptites became extinct? My thoughts were interrupted with Gaspar speaking again.

'Do you see this bucket?'

Yes, I saw the bucket. It was brown, made of what appeared to be clay and was devoid of patterns or any other interesting feature. Peering inside the bucket's depths, however, I discovered that the contents were a swirling blue liquid. It was a Gate held inside the bucket's capacities.

Hearing my gasp, Gaspar smiled very, very indifferently. 'That Gate leads to 1999 AD and if you wish to shed your mortal coil then I suggest you plunge right in.'

Full speed ahead, then, I thought. So I extended my hand. Just then Lucca exclaimed, 'He means that if you're suicidal use the Gate!'

My hand retreated as if it had been placed under scalding water. 'Suicidal?!' I spluttered, taken aback and more than a little disgusted. 'If that's what you meant, why talks about coils?'

'It's in a metaphorical sense.' Robo said, unhelpfully. I have no idea what metaphorical even means.

There was an awkward silence. The Crono said, 'I guess we'd better be going.'

He turned to go. Needless to say, Lucca, Robo and I followed suit. It was then that Gaspar chose to say, in his unnaturally deep voice: 'Hey.' Four heads twisted around with a start. The corners of Gaspar's mouth twitched. 'You see that door behind me? It is not bereft of blessings. I advise you look inside.'

Just like the lamp post, the bucket and Gaspar himself, the door just appeared, seemingly because it wished to be seen. The End of Time had to be the most peculiar environment I had ever chanced upon. At least the future didn't have random things appear out of nowhere with absolutely no science behind the mechanisms. Or, at least, that was how Lucca would put it. I would say that being able to fly (as one is capable of doing in the End of Time) is rather fun. There being no solid ground, I hopped and levitated at rest and never once was I in danger of falling into the cursory black surrounding me.

Gaspar's advice was dubious at best. Just a minute ago (or however long it is in the End of Time), he had told me about the Gate in the bucket, making it sound like using the Gate would actually be an intelligent action. (Who doesn't want to get pulverised by Lavos?) Now, however, curiosity seized me and only cautiousness stopped me from wresting the door into my control immediately.

'What's behind the door?' Crono demanded.

'What's behind the door, sir?' Gaspar repeated, laying emphasis on the added word.

'I don't have time for this.' Crono grunted. He marched up to the door. He was about to open it when he realized that the door had vanished.

I giggled. 'I think you have to be more polite to Mister Gaspar, Crono.' I told him.

Crono scowled. 'Could you please make the door appear, sir?'

'Certainly.' said Gaspar. And sure enough the door had appeared.

'Thanks.' Crono said with gritted teeth. He was so put off at how Gaspar was pulling his leg that he forgot to be on his guard as he opened the door. There was no need, however. As he opened the door, a small, white, feathery creature darted through the crack and it appeared before us.

'Is that what I think it is?' I asked no one in particular.

'It's a Kilwala!' Lucca stared.

So it was. A Kilwala, let me remind you, is a fairly weak type of mystic. They are like large birds; however, they have neither talons nor sharp beak. A Kilwala is basically a modern day dodo. They're fat and useless, but very cute and feathery.

'I'm the God of War!' squeaked the Kilwala.

I'm not sure how Kilwalas talk with such an awkward beak fixed on their faces. They just do. Of course, I didn't believe a word of what the Kilwala said and neither, I presume, did the rest. While we all stared, open-mouthed, Robo turned to Gaspar. 'Who is this?' he asked calmly.

'I'm Spekkio,' the Kilwala answered for Gaspar, 'and I'm going to teach you magic!'

I wondered whether I had accidentally taken an illicit drug or that hallucinations like this were possible without them. This could not be real. I mean, come on. Whoever heard of a Kilwala declaring that he/she/it was a God of War and that it had the ability to teach you MAGIC. Out all things, why magic? Why not knitting, croquet, biochemistry, French? Wasn't travelling through time and landing in a place reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland magic enough?

Spekkio must have obviously seen something sceptic or possibly even outright mocking in our faces because he said, 'Of course there's such thing as magic. It's just hard to see in your Time Period.'

'What do you mean?' asked Lucca nervously. I thought, Lucca's a scientist and she hates the unexplained. No wonder she's not not taking well to Spekkio.

'Years and years ago, long before you were thought of, a kingdom was built on magic. Everyone used it!' Spekkio explained. 'But the humans began to abuse their power. One day, their kingdom collapsed and from then on, only mystics could use magic.'

I suddenly thought of something. 'Wait!' I pulled out my pendant and showed it to Spekkio. 'Was this pendant made during the era of the magic kingdom?' I inquired.

I saw Gaspar frown and suddenly look thoughtful. Spekkio, however, shook his head. 'This was made by mystics.' He said softly. I was stunned. The holy pendant kept by the royal family of Guardia and the object which had saved my life and started this whole adventure – crafted by the scummy mystics? Impossible! Hadn't they sword defiance against the king?

However, I had no time to dwell on these thoughts. Spekkio was speaking again. 'Not just magic but everything around us is made from the four elements: Lightning, Fire, Water and Shadow. The pendant's imbued with water magic. Everyone has their own special affinity for a particular magic type-'

'Oh yeah, what's mine?' Crono interrupted. Spekkio turned an appraising eye on him.

'Do I look weak or strong to you?' Spekkio asked suddenly.

Crono grinned mischievously. 'Weak!' he replied.

Spekkio sighed heavily. 'Put it this way,' he said, 'if I look weak to you, then you're weak. If I look strong to you, then you're strong.'

I giggled. I knew what this meant. Spekkio was a shape-shifter. He looked different for everyone corresponding to their strength. Crono, in saying that Spekkio looked weak, had rolled himself. Now he tried to cover his mistake. 'I was only teasing you,' he insisted, 'of course you look strong…'

'Don't talk rubbish, weakling.' Spekkio laughed.

I fully expected Crono to draw his sword and thus attempt to decapitate Spekkio with a wooden blade. But he only said, 'Then I must become stronger.'

We stared at him. Crono didn't even notice this. 'You will train us, Spekkio, won't you? Because if we don't become stronger we'll never be able to defeat Lavos.' He sighed. 'Geez, I know I'm weak already, don't rub it in. As long as you train us though, we'll be okay, right?'

Spekkio was silent for a moment. I looked from him to Crono and back again. I couldn't believe Crono had been so humble. Maybe the End of Time did that to people. Oh well, it wasn't all that bad. In fact, I liked Crono's speech.

Spekkio shrugged after this long moment. 'Well, I am the God of War…'

* * *

Magic! Magic! Magic! What is this new difficult technique about? Crono, Lucca and I all learn magic and all of us seem to be having difficulties. I guess there's more to it than waving a wand and saying, "Abracadabra!" next time in the Long Weekend, "The Blue Wind – Mastering the Aura"! Watch me make a total idiot of myself! 


	20. Chapter 20

Okay, guys, I wrote a poem at the end. This can be the ending theme song just like in a TV show. It's not like normal poetry. It's in the iambic pentameter, basically what Shakespeare wrote all of his plays in. You stress the second syllable and you don't pause at the end of the line. You only pause when there's punctuation.

**Disclaimer: This is an unofficial novelization of the game "Chrono Trigger" developed by Square Enix (Square Soft at the time). In no way does the author claim ownership of Chrono Trigger and in no way has it been written for the profit of the writer. However, the author does claim ownership on any original character that is developed or extra scenes and dialogue unrelated to the original canon.**

Review replying!

**Kasienda: **Lol, I liked that line too. That only came in the update the day after I posted the chapter. And with Crono, I had to make him grow up sometime. It would be lame as if he stayed an annoying brat the whole time. Thank you for the flattery. The only reason I'm writing this so quickly is because I don't have Writer's Block. I think that's the reason. Maybe it isn't. I dunno.

**Krait: **I'm glad you liked this chapter. And the idea for Gaspar just came like the idea for Belthazar. Aren't all old men obsessed with being treated politely by the younger generation? Now I have to think of something to make Melchior crazy. I think I'll make him the craziest of the lot, but no, not crazier than Queen Zeal – she's just a retard. Thank you for liking my Crono and Marle. At least someone likes them. I would say they are just warped figments of my imagination but they were actually designed by somebody and drawn by AKIRA TORIYAMA! As a random note, did you know you used the verb 'to love' four times in one review? What passionate feelings. Thank you!

**Mystere23: **I promise to make next chapter longer. Thanks for reviewing. Enjoy this chapter.

* * *

'Anyway,' said Spekkio after Crono's remarkably clichéd speech, 'now let me tell you what elements you are. 

'You! Dumb blonde!'

'Who? Me?' I said blankly.

'Yeah, you!' Spekkio grinned. 'You're water.'

He turned to Lucca next. 'Goofy glasses is fire.' Lucca fiddled with her goofy glasses and fixed Spekkio with an ugly leer as the Kilwala turned to Crono. 'You with the punk hairdo, you're lightning.' Finally Spekkio looked at Robo. 'And you!' then he stopped, looking slightly puzzled. 'What the hell are you?'

Robo began to explain in a calm, not-so-very-excited tone that made me giggle. 'I am an artificial being created by human hands, I-'

'Whatever.' Spekkio cut him short. 'You're a tool, so you can't use magic.'

Robo fell silent. He was not stupid enough to rise to Spekkio's bait. What Spekkio really meant, of course, was that Robo was not descended from those who could use magic, being a robot. Poor Robo, he'd be missing out on the fun.

'Right,' Spekkio cleared his throat, 'now to unlock your magical abilities. Walk around this room clockwise three times.

There were numerous problems with this arrangement.

**Chapter 20 The Blue Wind – Mastering the Aura**

First of all, there wasn't even a room.

This was the End of Time, of course, where everything defied the laws of nature. All the objects that I could see were assorted randomly and all appeared to be hovering without any kind of stable support. I myself could move freely in any direction. There was no pull of gravity restricting me and pulling me downwards. If I jumped I could hover suspended for any length of time and the distance I could cover was infinite. Also, time and distance did not coexist. If I wanted to be in any part of the End of Time, I was there. Such a confusing and remarkable place was, as Gaspar described it, the Point of Least Resistance. Without any rules, we ended up here. Truly, it was a curious place inhabited by curious people.

So of course there was no surprise that as Spekkio spoke, firm, distinct walls of bluestone brick came to encompass us. The dimensions were about 20 feet by 20 and the ceiling (constructed out of what seemed to be more bluestone) was about 20 feet away. The lamp post almost touched it but was about a foot off.

'Go on!' Spekkio squawked. 'Run!'

I really didn't like the idea of taking orders from such an impudent Kilwala. If Gaspar couldn't stand Crono's manners, then how could he bear Spekkio? However, magic is kind of cool. So I got to my feet and ran.

Funny how now time seemed to stretch as I ran, unlike before. No, it was the walls stretching. I could never reach it because of this manner, there would never be this outcome; therefore I didn't reach it. Or something,

'Stop stretching the walls, Spekkio!' I fumed.

Spekkio's beak opened slightly. His eyes twinkled. This was how he grinned. 'Sorry!' he squawked and sure enough, the walls ceased to expand. In no time flat, Crono Lucca and I had completed Spekkio's orders.

'Now what?' Lucca panted. She hated aerobic exercise.

'Now you can use magic!' Spekkio said impressively. We stared at him. Spekkio looked slightly unsettled at our reaction. 'Try it!' he insisted.

So I did. Not quite sure what you had to do to classify it was magic; I just kept staring at Spekkio. Turn to ice, I thought. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened.

Spekkio looked quite flustered now. 'You don't think it: will it! Shout it out if you need to. If you're as good a magician as me you wouldn't need to speak, of course.' He added EVER so modestly. Crono, Lucca and I; we looked at each other. None of us were all that keen to learn magic, not really believing in it too frivolously. Despite what Crono had said earlier… well, what you do if some random Kilwala wanted to teach you magic? You'd probably stick with the people you know and stare at Spekkio like he was a zoo animal. That's what we did.

Robo's face was unreadable. Gaspar was snoring loudly. For a time this was the only noise echoing within the End of Time. Finally, Crono chanted (or more, said tonelessly), 'Zap Spekkio.'

Any crackle of electricity? Any tell-tale signs of wish fulfilment? Honestly, what did you think was about to happen?

Spekkio sighed. 'You guys aren't very enthusiastic, are you?'

'Of course we're enthusiastic!' I lied earnestly. 'We're just not sure how to do anything.'

'Maybe you haven't taught us the fundamentals.' Lucca said helpfully.

'So that's what I was forgetting!' Spekkio guffawed loudly. 'Guys, you've got to think the word "Magic". Think very hard and you should see what you call the Black Wind. Concentrate on the Black Wind and then you'll be able to order it to do things for you. With your head. No, I don't mean try and headbutt it.'

'What's the Black Wind?' I asked.

'Well, it won't be black for you.' Spekkio said. 'They say that when the Black Wind howls, something important is about to happen, although it's usually a bad omen.'

''The Magic Wind is corresponding to your affinity.' Gaspar called out. Translation: _Marle will see a Blue Wind, Crono will see a Yellow Wind and Lucca will see a Red Wind._

I suddenly thought of the mystics and how they (rather consistently) claimed to see the Black Wind. It was mind boggling how it all sort of fit in like this. Maybe Spekkio wasn't talking utter lunacy after all. So I thought "Magic", just as Spekkio told us to do. The letters flitted across my brain. They were burned in there, they changed colors and continued to repeat the same message. Think and you will see the Blue Wind, I thought. I wondered what the Blue Wind looked like. I mean, you really couldn't see wind. You could feel its presence, especially during a storm. Here and there you could see traces of how it shaped the world. But no, you couldn't see the win. How would you know what color it was? Was wind a he or a she?

Wait, I'm getting off topic. I thought again, "Magic". Then I saw it.

I felt nothing, but now I was trapped within the eye of a hurricane. All around me, twisting, turning, was this manifestation of wind and here it shone, with a pale radiance, the hue of the oceans, the skies and my old blue dress all at once. It was pretty.

I saw Spekkio appear in the eye of the wind with me. He spoke and I had the feeling that only I could hear him. 'This is the Blue Wind. It will appear to you and notify you when a friend is in need. Water helps every ecosystem. Without it, nothing can live. Now,' Spekkio went on, 'you can use water as a destructive force or as something to cleanse. If you can, tell the Blue Wind what you need done. If it is within your magical capabilities, it will be done. Have a nice day.' With that, Spekkio vanished and the Blue Wind faded too. I was panting. I couldn't believe it, but I had just seen the color of wind. I no longer doubted Spekkio. He seemed pretty smart to me.

I looked to the side. Lucca had her eyes screwed shut and Crono was muttering to himself, 'Magic, magic, magic.'

'You're the first to get magic,' Spekkio said from behind me, 'there's hope for you yet. Now practise hard, will you! Magic is handy when you need it!'

I smiled. 'Thank you, Spekkio.'

I had felt at home with the Blue Wind. It had reminded me of my mother and I always felt warm thinking about her. The Blue Wind already felt like my close friend. I closed my eyes and willed this reverent power to return unto me. It took a long time to mentally coax the Blue Wind into doing my bidding, but eventually-

'It's snowing!' Robo stating. It was true. Numerous snowflakes were falling from the ceiling, as abundant as rabbits in the field. It was amazing. Despite the pounding headache afflicting my eardrums from thinking "Magic" over and over, I was proud of myself.

'I did it!' I grinned.

'You did it!' Spekkio grinned.

'Who did what?' Crono grinned.

'Shut up and keep concentrating!' Spekkio grunted. Crono muttered something under his breath that didn't sound like, 'Magic.'

After me, Lucca was next to master magic. She saw the Red Wind and managed to set Gaspar's shirt on fire. Needless to say, it woke the old man with a start. I was obliged to put out the fire with a healthy downpour of rain. Although Gaspar was proud of our efforts, he was not so happy with his sodden clothes. Nobody suggested he take them off.

Crono, unfortunately, was not having so much luck. I did not tease him although I privately thought this backed my belief that girls were stronger mentally than boys. Crono might have muscles for brains so this may have stopped him producing such good results with the Yellow Wind.

Suddenly, Spekkio exclaimed. 'I think this concludes our lesson.'

'What? Why?' Crono, Lucca, Robo and I asked in unison, although Robo was out of time by about three seconds.

Gaspar explained, 'The longer you stay here, the harder it is to leave and do what must be done. I suggest you leave now before you get too attached to this place.'

It was true what Gaspar said. I was rather fond of the End of Time. Even though I was obliged to learn magic just to defeat Lavos, I felt a sense of security here. Possibly this was because there was no evil chancellors or revolting mutants to apprehend us.

But Crono also had his reasons for disliking the idea of leaving. 'What about my Yellow Wind?' he demanded.

Spekkio hastened to reassure him. 'The Yellow Wind will appear in preparation of a battle. So when you see it, that's when you can practise.'

Crono still looked a little disgruntled, so Gaspar took to talking. 'It takes a long time to master even the basics of magic. Marle and Lucca are simply precocious students.'

Nobody asked Gaspar what "Precocious" meant. So I told Crono, 'You've protected me a long time with your sword, so now it's time for us to protect you. Right, Lucca?'

Lucca grinned. 'Lucca's got a gun.' Was all she said, but Crono had cheered up immensely.

'Listen to me all of you,' Gaspar intoned in the sort of voice that would tempt you to disobey his command, 'isolated as you are, you will never be able to defeat Lavos. Only by mastering time will you be able to do this.' Translation: _You need help. Seriously._

'Your advice is sound,' said Robo, 'but first it would be nice to go home and recuperate.' I thought Gaspar was just rambling on about something or other so I had just nodded politely.

What Robo meant by "Home" was probably Lucca's house. That was in 1000 AD. There was a Time Gate leading to 1000 AD – simple enough. Only, I had forgotten how difficult it would be to get to Lucca'shouse in _Guardia _from _Medina Village_. Oh well, when was it my job to think ahead?

'Bye!' I waved. 'Have fun, Gaspar, Spekkio!'

'Good luck with your Yellow Wind!' Spekkio called to Crono. Crono smiled.

'Thanks,' he said, 'I hope the next time we see you, you'll look a lot stronger!'

Lucca beamed. 'Now onward; one at a time we'll touch the Gate, just to reach 10000 AD!'

The pillars of light shone brightly.

* * *

'Twas all written by fate's own hand, 

The quill smear'd deep with blood;

Its stains cried out not for abysmal fate

And call'd for heroes bravely spoke.

They came to duty fair and good,

They fac'd hardships and look to see

Horizons fill'd with yet more grief.

This epic fight star-cross'd may be

But hard resolve doth weaken not.

So Time alone He reads the stars

And He alone know'th all.

* * *

IMP: When did you appear? 

MARLE: Out of your closet just a few seconds ago.

IMP: Monsters in the closet! This is something new. Welcome to Medina, the "Magic" Village. Humans aren't welcome here!

MARLE: I thought was much. Now do you have some crepe?

IMP: No, but you can help yourself top some cake and biscuits.

MARLE: Really?

IMP: No.

Next time in the Long Weekend, "Medina – The Magic Village"! See you soon!


	21. Chapter 21

Hey. I've decided to add a little "gaiden" (side story) here because SOMEONE -looks at AkaiKamiRyu- wanted Crono to get a new sword. Also, longer chapter this time. Notice the smaller scrollbar? Yes, you do, oh yes you do! Revel in it! I haven't even started writing the next chapter yet, although I'll get on to that soon. So for now you get this nice long chapter. Oh, and let's pretend that Jesus Christ and Thomas Jefferson both existed at some point in the world of Chrono Trigger. If they didn't, the world would have been a sadder place (at least, where Thomas Jefferson is concerned. I'm not too fussed about Jesus). So here we go. We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz…

**Disclaimer: This is an unofficial novelization of the game "Chrono Trigger" developed by Square Enix (Square Soft at the time). In no way does the author claim ownership of Chrono Trigger and in no way has it been written for the profit of the writer. However, the author does claim ownership on any original character that is developed or extra scenes and dialogue unrelated to the original canon.**

Only two reviews this time! No, wait. Just as I posted this chapter I got another one, so that makes it three! I'll reply to the new one here.

**AkaiKamiRyu: **Thank you for liking the last chapter although I thought it was a bit short. Crono will learn magic soon. Maybe next chapter. I'm still deciding. And YES, I'm finally considering giving Crono a new sword. Read this chapter for details. Although I do think this chapter is slightly boring. I'll keep writing. I write this like a maniac. The only thing in my life currently that has higher priority than the Long Weekend is my oboe and it needs SERVICING! starts yelling in frustration

**x.OAsamiMatsudaO.x**Oh, yes. You're ONLINE. How else could you have posted this nice review? Lolz. Thank you for your flattery. But why the chan? I am SAMA to THEE! MWA HA HA HA HA HA! Sorry. I know last chapter was short but now this one is longer. Yay! Thank you for liking my poem. I like to think I can do MIDDLE English sort-of-okay. And yes, now everyone knows my obsession with that and the Bible. But what can you say? I'm a literary freak.

**Krait: **Thank you for the good review. As for Marle, I think you're talking about "Dumb Blonde" and not, "Bum Blone" (although that sounds pretty funny! Hey, you've just given me ideas!) and I thought I was getting a bit pervy with Gaspar's accident, heh. Love is an awesome word. Abuse it all you want. This fic is not as awesome as some of the REALLY insightful ones, but at least my grammar's generally okay, right? Generally...

* * *

Before we get on to the continuation of our adventures, let's stop and hear about the mystics. 

Mystics have always been feared by humans. I suppose it was because they could use magic and we couldn't. The humans outnumbered the mystics and in a savage and fleeting war, the humans succeeded in becoming rulers of the continent of Zenan. They were tyrannical over the mystics and there were no laws preaching equal rights for them. In fact, King Guardia II wrote in the annals of Guardia, "They are a… demonic population. Nothing about them is civilized… they have half a human brain and screech for blood."

To be fair, the mystics didn't like the humans, either. Revolt after revolt they attempted but they never succeeded in their ambitions. The people scoffed at them, but every time the mystics screwed up their courage, everyone else cowered in fear.

This went on for a while. There was one time, in 600 AD that the mystics actually came very close to destroying Guardia. Soon after Queen Leene was kidnapped and found again (Oh, I remember that very clearly!), the mystics marched through Guardia, killing and generally causing widespread terror. They actually got to Zenan Bridge. If they crossed it, the mystics would only be a step away from the castle itself.

Who could have mustered such efforts from the mystics and inspire such turbulent times? It was the wizard Magus and gosh how the people of Guardia feared him! Even now, he's a name that mothers repeat to naughty children: "Johnny, if you don't eat your greens, Magus will get you!" …things like that. I guess the reason why everyone was scared of Magus was because Magus was a human. I thought, and forgive my language, he was a traitorous bastard who really couldn't use magic but could sure lead an army. Now I'm not so sure.

But then, just when Zenan Bridge was about to be taken, the soldiers of Guardia fought back and stopped the mystics in their tracks. Maybe Magus knew the mystics weren't going to win then because he vanished without a trace. To this day, Magus is either worshipped or loathed by mystics and humans respectively. The mystics were banished to Medina. Some mystics continue to live in Guardia, but they are few. These mystics live in harmony with humans.

In this peaceful contemporary kingdom of Guardia, the humans are ready to live with mystics. There are equal rights for mystics and humans. Unfortunately, some humans still don't think much of mystics, and the majority of mystics in Medina still don't think much of humans.

**Chapter 21 Medina – The Magic Village**

There was a muffled heat I felt. I had just touched the pillar of light in the End of Time that connected with 1000 AD and here I was, choking in a small, dark room, surrounded by moth balls and coats that were so ugly only their mothers would love them. It was a closet.

Suddenly, Robo appeared beside me, then Lucca. After a long moment (this was so we could beat that Conservation of Time ruler Gaspar was rambling about before. Ha!), Crono appeared, but by this time the closet was overflowing with bodies. With an ominous squeak, the door swung open and staring at our faces was an imp.

'When did you appear?!' It asked, looking utterly beguiled. My body was pressed tightly against Crono's (I admit I liked that) and I couldn't reply. The imp opened the closet wider so we could all file out of the confined area.

The house outside the closet was neat and orderly, definitely not in keeping with my interpretation of a mystic's cleanliness. The furniture was of decent quality; the walls shone of new paint and not a line was out of place. There were two mystics within this average-sized house (by Guardia standards). The first imp had just opened the closet door for us and the second was in the kitchen. At the sound of the first imp's exclamation, the second poked its head round the door.

'What is it now, Herbert? If you're talking about your migraine, I'll give you a cup of tea and I'll clear your head.'

Crono, Robo, Lucca and I looked at each other. The message was clear in our eyes. Were these mystics daft, but gentle? Neither imp looked particularly ferocious, but which imp would yell, 'When did you appear?!' when a migraine surfaces?

Herbert the imp called to the imp that appeared to be his wife. 'We've got visitors, Daisy!'

'Good!' Daisy's voice sounded. 'Invite them in. I've got cake and biscuits here.'

'Daisy, they're humans and they came out of the closet!'

'Eh?' Daisy appeared at the doorway, looking faintly curious. She was wearing a flowery apron, just like a fussy housewife. 'They appeared out of the closet, you say? Just like the other one…'

Nobody said anything. Herbert looked flustered. I stared at him, then at Daisy. This was weird. Had someone else used the Time Gate?

'Well, come into the kitchen, then.' Daisy said finally. 'I've got a snack prepared, although I didn't expect Ozzie to come around until later.'

Suddenly, Crono gave forth an abrupt gasp and fell to his knees. 'Are you okay, Crono?!' I exclaimed at once. Lucca felt Crono's forehead with the palm of her hand.

'He's burning up!' she stated. 'Crono's got a fever!'

Robo chirped, 'He burnt too many calories. I daresay Crono has not eaten for a while.'

Herbert sniffed. 'I don't burn enough calories.'

'Oh, shut up!' Daisy chided him. 'Here, let me help your friend.' She took hold of Crono and dragged him to the bedroom. The bed was made, adorned with beautiful white sheets. Daisy shoved Crono onto it.

'He will be okay, won't he?' I asked anxiously. It was my fault, after all, that Crono was like this. He was the one who had not eaten for four days now, having been detained in prison for so long. All that fighting and adventures in the future had not been much help, either. It had never occurred to me that Crono could have been so weak for all that time. He was always making himself out to be strong when all the time he had been faint with hunger. The lying sneak! But so brave and manly, this conduct was.

I looked at Crono's face; so vulnerable it was I could not help but feel sorry for him. And that was when I saw the Blue Wind. It was hovering by the bedside table. _What do you want me to do? _It seemed to ask. I remembered what Spekkio had said about the Blue Wind appearing when a friend was in need. Crono certainly was in need. His cheekbones were more pinched than when I had first met him, his body more thin… meeting me had really cost him something. _You must heal Crono! _I begged to the Blue Wind. I wondered whether I was capable of healing anyone. Didn't Spekkio say the charm on my pendant was water magic? I might be able to cure people to some extent!

The Blue Wind obscured Crono's face. Come on, Blue Wind, I begged. I half-espected the wind to leave with Crono's face rosy and healthy. I dreaded the alternative. At last the wind faded. Crono didn't look as peaky as before, his fever wasn't completely abated. Oh well. At least I did something.

'Crono!' Lucca looked surprised. Crono was opening his eyes.

'I'm hungry.' He murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

'Herbert, get the snacks!' Daisy ordered at once. Herbert nodded and obliged and immediately.

I smiled. 'Thanks, Mazoku-San. [A.N. Just randomly wanted to put some Japanese into it. This is for you, Duckie! I wonder if you know what Mazoku means? Why are you helping us?'

'The war was 400 years ago, dear.' Daisy replied. 'Herbert and I, we think forgive and forget is the way to go.'

Crono, who was looking much rosier now that he had been given access to victuals, nodded in agreement. 'That's the right attitude!'

I gave Crono a playful shove. 'It's only 'cos you're getting fed!'

'You're not supposed to injure a patient. That's just adding insult to injury.' Crono said, helping himself to another slice of cake. 'Great cooking, Daisy.'

Herbert casually glanced at the clock on the wall (it was a grandfather clock that looked as old as Leene's Bell itself) and promptly jumped a foot in the air. 'Oh, Lavos!' he exclaimed. 'Ozzie's coming in five minutes!'

'Destruction rains from the heavens!' Daisy lamented. 'Quick, we've got to hide the humans!'

'How in Lavos's name do we do that?' asked Herbert.

'Excuse me,' said Robo, 'but why do you incur the name of Lavos?'

'Part of our religion.' Herbert explained.

I was revolted. 'You call Lavos GOD?!' If only these idiots knew what Lavos was going to do in the future.

'Yes, but we've no time for such chit-chat!' Daisy said briskly. 'Come on, you girls, you can hide under the bed. The giant metal thing can stay here.' Daisy bent down and lifted the sheets covering the sides of the bed. Lucca and I hesitated only briefly, then climbed into our arranged hideaway.

'What about me?' Crono pointed out.

'Just make sure Ozzie doesn't get into the bedroom. He hates humans, remember?'

'Why, then,' I heard Lucca grumble, 'are we hiding under the bed?'

The carpet was making me itchy. I started scratching my irritated skin when the doorbell sounded, indicating Ozzie's arrival. I stopped the scratching at once and listened as attentively as one can expect of a restless princess such as me.

'Why, hello, there, Ozzie!' Daisy's voice sounded higher-pitched than usual/ 'Here, let me take your coat. I'm so glad you came.'

'As mayor of medina and the, erm, great-great-great-great-great-grandson of the famed General Ozzie, Magus's greatest helper, I-'

'Oh, yes, put a sock in it, Ozzie!'

'Herbert!'

'No offense taken– I know I ramble on a but.'

'Oh, Ozzie, don't you have places to go?'

'I'm heading off to the Square today, you know, for the festival…'

Mystics at the Millennial Fair? How does that work? Father ought to know of this, I thought, but then I remembered with a slight pang that I wasn't on speaking terms with father any more.

'You mean the "religious gathering" in Medina Square? What utter nonsense!' Herbert was scoffing. Then I realized: no one was talking about the Millennial Fair; this was something else.

'I wouldn't call it utter nonsense if I were you, Herbert.' Ozzie sounded faintly annoyed. 'I know you are lenient with the humans but they'll meet their end soon enough- when Lavos reawakens, that is.'

'We don't know when that'll happen,' said Daisy. 999 years, I thought in answer. But of course, Daisy couldn't read my mind.

'Mark my words,' said Ozzie pompously, 'those humans have it coming to them for their arrogant ways. Have you heard that the humans are having a fair celebrating the 400th anniversary of the so-called defeat of Magus? Those humans have nothing to do with it. No one knows what happened to Magus, but I've a feeling he'll return and help us massacre the humans again.'

There you have it: a twisted, demonic version of Jesus Christ. Whew.

'Come now, not all humans are bad.' Daisy insisted.

'If you're talking about Melchior, the only reason we haven't killed him yet is because he's such an excellent swordsmith. If I didn't know better I would say it was he that crafted the Einlanzer!'

'Ah, yes, I've heard of that beautiful sword. Where do you have it now?' Herbert sounded very engaged.

By contrast, Ozzie's drawl was bored and arrogant. 'I keep it in my manor. It is very heavy by you can tell it's so valuable. I had it dated and I think it's from the Magic Kingdom; you know, the Dark Ages.'

'The only surviving relic of the Dark Ages!' Daisy sang.

'Not the only,' said Herbert, 'Guardia has the Einlanzer's twin: the demonic sword- the Masamune! Both Masamune and Einlanzer were forged during the era of the Magic Kingdom. According to legend, the Einlanzer is completely holy but the Masamune is a sword of evil that possesses each user.' Herbert explained a rapt tone.

Ozzie yawned. 'I see you're an authority on the subject. Well, duty calls. Pity you're not coming to the Square. Later.'

The three mystics exchanged farewells and it sounded as if Ozzie had left the house. I breathed again. I was so glad Ozzie had not come near the bedroom. 'Can we come out now?' I asked in a muffled voice. 'I was sweating under the bed.

Daisy's reply was prompt. 'Yes. Come on.'

I climbed out and so did Lucca; both of us were extremely relieved. Robo didn't look any different than usual. Crono had a sort of enlightened expression on his face. I wondered what was his problem.

'Sorry you guys had to be so uncomfortable,' said Herbert, 'only Ozzie kept talking about theology.'

'Theology is not science!' Lucca scoffed.

'That's what I always say!' said Herbert.

I smiled at Robo. 'What do you think, Robo?'

Robo was so cute when he took everything so seriously. 'Thomas Jefferson once said that he would not allow theology to be taught in his institution.'

Lucca gasped. 'Thomas Jefferson is my hero!' But I wonder if Thomas Jefferson could have invented a TelePod like Lucca.

Suddenly, Crono snapped out of his daze. 'Where is Ozzie's manor?' he demanded.

Daisy looked a bit troubled. 'Why would you want to know, dear?' she asked.

Why did I know the answer before Crono even said it? 'The Einlanzer! If Ozzie's away at Medina Square worshipping Lavos, we can go to his house and steal the sword. Most brilliant I've ever had, yeah?'

'You idiot,' Lucca said through gritted teeth, 'it's not going to be that easy. A valuable sword such as the Einlanzer would be under heavy security. Not to mention you've justbhad a fever, how can you be expected to move when you're supposed to be bedridden for a whole day?'

'I have honourable reasons for procuring the sword.' Crono replied sagaciously.

'Yeah,' I giggled, 'because you're embarrassed about your wooden sword.'

Robo stated his opinion. 'I think obtaining the sword would be a good idea. It would be an invaluable tool on our quest.'

'Quest?' Herbert looked interested.

'It's a long story.' I said, but I was interested in what Robo had to say. 'Go on, Robo.'

'It would be difficult indeed to obtain the sword but even more so if we face our enemy without a proper weapon,' Robo was referring to Lavos, 'this would also be a good training opportunity for later.' He added. Even though in Guardia, swords aren't used as weapons and more as a sporting item, like a javelin. Oh well.

Lucca nodded in agreement. 'I guess you're right.' She said. 'I guess we're going to steal the sword.'

'Steal the sword?' Dasiy looked horrified.

'We'll help you,' said Herbert quickly, 'I always wanted to see the sword. Ozzie never let me have a look.'

'Herbert!' Daisy growled, but she still looked worried. 'Even so…'

'Where's Ozzie's manor?' asked Crono excitedly. His gleamed out of treasure-hunting fever and not out of oh-I'm-sick-with-smallpox-or-something-random-like-that.

'Just next door.' Was the reply.

Anime sweatdrop.

* * *

Okay, it's time to break into Ozzie's manor. Why aren't things going to plan? Wait, do we even have a plan? Uh, Robo? We need your help here! This is for the Einlanzer, the fabled holy sword! Next time in the Long Weekend, "The Hunt for the Sacred Sword"! See you soon! 


	22. Chapter 22

This chapter is taking on a much different feel than my previous ones. If you don't like it, don't worry, because this experiment is lasting for only one chapter. I'm reverting to active present tense after the introduction bit before the chapter title. Descriptions are going to be sparse, also. It's my pitiful attempt at making a funny chapter because I thought this story needed some variety. As for Melchior, you may have wondered what happened to make my twisted imagination portray him as he is. If either of the two terms "Ero-sennin" or "Houshi-sama" strike a chord; you will understand. If not, you will have to read the chapter to find out. Hopefully, that won't be too much torture for you readers. Also, I did editting and some chapters have been combined with other chapters. This means that some chapters are irregularly named now. I can't be bothered fixing everything, so I apologize.

**Disclaimer: This is an unofficial novelization of the game "Chrono Trigger" developed by Square Enix (Square Soft at the time). In no way does the author claim ownership of Chrono Trigger and in no way has it been written for the profit of the writer. However, the author does claim ownership on any original character that is developed or extra scenes and dialogue unrelated to the original canon.**

Review replying. I've got some interesting reviews this time.

**Krait: **Whoa. I'm blushing. However, I can see you haven't played Chrono Cross OR Radical Dreamers. They are two different sequels to Chrono Trigger. The former owns the latter utterly. The Einlanzer is described in Chrono Cross as the holy sword, basically how I described it last chapter. The Masamune is also differently portrayed than in Chrono Trigger. I let the Chrono Cross Masamune be the one to go in this story because I like Chrono Cross and think it is cool, even though Magus doesn't make an appearance (he's in Radical Dreamers, though; under the name of Magil.) As for the "other one"… maybe you should pay a slight bit more attention to the Chrono Trigger. In one scene you actually SEE the Guru of Reason appear out of the closet. Of course, I'm not saying who the Guru of Reason is just in case people who haven't played Chrono Trigger get a hold of these spoilers. What a long reply to the review. I'm exhausted.

**Kasienda:**Yay! You're updating! -Does a dance- I like reading other people's novelizations of Chrono Trigger just to see their interpretation of each character. For the record, I haven't seen a Crono exactly like mine yet. My Crono reminds me of my "husband", he he. And Marle is so difficult to do. She's basically just an empty character. You don't know how hard it is fleshing her out. I don't think I did it right. As a random note, I have figured out what the Blue Wind, Yellow Wind and Black Wind do. However, I have no idea when the Red Wind should appear. Got any ideas? With the imps, they are just randomly there. I'm trying not to make too many OCs in case people get bored of them (and people seem to do in this site) As for my fave CT character, I REALLY would have thought it was obvious (looks at pen name). I am actually starting to like Crono and Marle a lot more, though, thanks to this story. And Lucca's cool too. Who's your favourite CT character?

**AkaiKamiRyu: **I hope you like this chapter. This one's a lot more humor-orientated than the others. Like a crack, you might even say. I will explain all plot-holes that this crack chapter creates in the next chapter, so no worries there. I obviously didn't want to waste the reader's time by making a boring chapter (after all, the Einlanzer isn't even MENTIONED in Chrono Trigger, let alone, obtained) so I tried to make this one as funny as possible. I could have failed miserably, so I need your help by telling me HOW I failed miserably (if I did at all). I thought the concept of wooden sword against Lavos a rather entertaining notion, so I kept it for a while. Obviously not the best of practical ideas, however. Enjoy this update.

* * *

Melchior the Sword smith stretched his legs and flicked through his magazine, sighing contentedly. 

It was true that Melchior had went to Leene Square to sell swords to sporting nuts; however, the real reason that Melchior had went was far more… dirty. The subscription to the monthly porn magazine was not available in Medina, so every month Melchior went to Truce to collect his magazine.

'Ooh! Hee! Hee!' Melchior grinned wolfishly as he stared at the illustrations. He was quite absorbed.

Suddenly, Melchior felt a tremor run through his body. He looked up and saw rows or swords all buckling slightly. Melchior sighed and opened his front door wide. _Not another earthquake. _It happened way too often. Maybe it was Lavos, who was to say?

But who cared about Lavos when there were loads of pretty nude females to admire? Melchior picked up his magazine, grinned again, and continued to read. The minor earthquake was quickly forgotten.

**Chapter 6 The Hunt for the Sacred Sword**

'Uh, don't you mean Chapter _22_?'

Oh, yeah! My bad!

**Chapter 22 The Hunt for the Sacred Sword**

The Einlanzer, a sword of mystical qualities. Originating from the era of the Magic Kingdom, it is completely holy and-

'Whatever! Let's skip to the part where we steal it!'

Fine! Okay, so here we are just outside Ozzie's manor. There's Robo here- chief in matters of electronic security. After all, Robo was once a security robot, so he knows how best to beat up other robots, right?

'Actually, I was an administrator robot…'

Let's just ignore the robot.

And here is Lucca, master of weaponry. If we get into a fight, good old Lucca knows how to use a gun, a mallet, grenades, and other things that hurt. Also, Lucca's got a great back-up plan in case all goes awry. Go on, Lucca, tell us all!

'We can always set fire to the place.'

What an awesome plan!

Finally, here's Crono. I'm not sure what he's supposed to do. He can just be the silent protagonist. Oh, for the days the hero never speaks!

'Shut up, Marle.'

'No, you shut up.'

'No, you!'

'You!'

'You!'

'You!'

'Both of you shut up!'

'No, you!'

'You!'

'You!'

'You!'

At this point, a Naga-ette ("Big snake lady that wears only a bra." "Too much information!") walks out the door.

'Good day. Welcome to Ozzie's manor- aargh!'

The Naga-ette gives a choking noise and collapses after being hit by Robo's laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation).

'Good hit! That Naga-ette was going to hurt us!'

So we walk inside the manor.

'Wow! It's big!'

'Keep your voice down!'

'I hope no one's noticed us because of my blunder.'

All the mystics are staring at us.

'Good morning! We've come to ste- I mean, look at the Einlanzer!'

'Sure, it's in the cellar heavily guarded by Omicrones.'

'Why are you telling us that?'

'Because we can.'

* * *

So here we are just outside the cellar. Okay, everyone, pose for the camera! Hey, Lucca, you know your skirt's too short? 

'Why are you telling me this? You're a girl!'

'But it is too short, right, Robo?'

'Skirts are generally considered short once the length does not cover the knees of the wearer. They are worn for free movement and often to denote sexual availability-'

'Ooh! Lucca wants a boyfriend!'

'She's already got a boyfriend.'

'Who? Who's the lucky man?'

'Me.'

'Crono?! I THOUGHT YOU TOOK ME OUT TO DINNER!'

'And instead got chained up in a dungeon.'

'Aww, come on! I'll give you cookies!'

'Mmm, cookies… Bye, bye, Lucca! It's over!'

'Well that was a stupid relationship. You dumped me for cookies?!'

'Yup.'

'Come, the Einlanzer awaits.'

So here we are in the cold, freezing cellar in which the Einlanzer rests. So far we have met no one hostile but because it's dark here, anyone can ambush us…

'The window's open, Marle, and we have passed at least four tourists since we came into the cellar.'

'Shut up! I'm trying to make this story as thrilling as possible!'

Anyway, after ignoring that rude interruption, I walk deeper into the cellar and discover… The Einlanzer!

A very long pause, then...

'IT'S RUSTY!'

'Marle, the Einlanzer's over there,'

Oh, whoops.

So here it is, the great Einlanzer. The hilt is perfectly balanced and the blade made of the finest steel. It glitters in the light of the cellar. It looks large, like perfectly made battle-axe, although it's a sword.

'The blade is made of a compound of iron and carbon. However, it looks like something else must have been tempered with the sword to give it such radiance.'

'It's shiiiiiiiiiiny! I like shiny things!'

'There must have been a spell or a charm on it to make it so bright.'

'Whatever. It's mine now!'

At this point of the proceedings, however, an Omicrone (mystic carrying dangerous-looking mace and wearing heavy armor) approaches us.

'You need to pay to keep looking, especially you, filthy humans.'

'What? So this is the way you get back at us for kicking your ass in a war? Make us pay to see your damn sword?'

'Language!'

'English.'

Anime sweatdrop.

'That was actually pretty smart.'

'Yeah, I know.'

Pause.

'So are you paying?'

'Oh yeah. Let me just get my wallet, which is just by my nsword…'

WHACK!

'Oh, Crono! You just trying to decapitate an Omicrone with a wooden sword! It looks really pissed now!'

BANG!

'Oh, Lucca! You just shot the Omicrone!'

'It was an accident, I swear!'

'Whatever, let's just get the sword.'

Just then, a Roly Poly (ugly green bird mystic shaped like a soccer ball) comes towards us with a camera around its neck. 'Excuse me, sirs, why are you taking down the sword?' My wife and I were just admiring it, see? It inclines its head towards an equally revolting Roly Poly.

It's times like this when quick wit and perseverance is required. It is now our ultimate test to see whether or not we can obtain the Einlanzer.

'Maintenance problems; the sword needs to be taken away.'

'What a pity. It looks quite spiffing.'

'Come on, let's scram!'

Watch us run out the cellar, across the hall and out the door carrying the sword. We've got it. Beyond the threshold and into Medina now… Yes! We managed it! We stole the sword! That was remarkably easy. I mean, we just walked in, bashed a few mystics, told a few lies, and walked out. I thought burglars had it a lot harder than this.

'My sword! My sword! Yay! Let me draw it!'

'Sure.'

Hear the dramatic music and the choir singing striking harmonies. Crono's drawing the sword- oh the mystical feeling!

'Damn, this sword's heavy!'

Crono is on the ground weighed down by the sword.

'Why did the sword randomly get heavier once it got pulled out of the sheathe?'

'Plot hole, Marle.' Robo says assuredly. 'Plot hole.'

* * *

Now that we've got the Einlanzer, I guess we'd better find a way to get off Medina. Hey, didn't Ozzie say Melchior lived in Medina? But why is someone else at Melchior's hut? Who is he? Next time in the Long Weekend, "Han and the sword smith"! See you soon! 


	23. Chapter 23

I know it's been an update and I know that I have fastidiously edited this story again, but… well, I'm back! And now, randomly, the story is going to head back in the serious direction it once took. So here goes! Also, because this update took so long, it's going to be extra long today and shall contain a filler chapter I created for your enjoyment. That's being tagged on to the end of this chapter. 

**Disclaimer: I don't own CT. **

Now a reply to the review from **Kasi **who is secretly Kasienda. Okay, sorry if my editing has confused you but I seriously put a lot of effort into making this story as perfect as I can. As you can see, I am particular about producing good quality stories. Also, Guile was _Alfador _in the Japanese version of CC. They were _going _to put Magus in but changed at the last minute. They thought the plot was confusing enough without Magus. They were right, of course (winks). Unfortunately, this story will not have any more deliberate comic relief for a while. So, you're going to have to stick with the heavy doom and gloom of an apocalypse story. But I still might make reference to Melchior's "reading", heh heh.

* * *

'Why is the Einlanzer so heavy once pulled out of its sheathe?' Crono grunted, tugging at the object of his complaints. His face was as red as a brick, just like his hair. We were quite a distance away from Ozzie's manor, in a quiet secluded street in Medina Village. However, I barely noticed the surroundings for I was focused on the matter at hand.

'Perhaps...' I began, for a sudden idea struck me. 'Perhaps it has not chosen you as its wielder!" I had heard of magic swords that chose its owners in books and folklore. Could this occasion be any different?

Robo was confused. 'How is it possible for an inanimate object to choose its wielder?'

'Well, you're a robot and you have feelings,' Lucca shrugged, 'maybe swords are the same.'

'Besides,' I said, 'the Einlanzer is from the Magic Kingdom, right? Then maybe it's got a spell stopping most people from using it.' It would make sense. After all, with all the strnage supernatural things we had hitherto seen, this could hardly be news.

'Why me, though?" Crono sighed. With difficulty, he put the Einlanzer into the sheathe. Then he picked up the sheate and weighed it in his hand. He lifted it easily. 'Hold it, you guys.' he said, passing the sword around.

I had a turn holding the Einlanzer's sheathe. It was as heavy as one might expect a sheathe to be. It wasn't feathery like a katana being more like a broadsword in size and shape. It was like an ordinary sword from the Sport shop- not too heavy but strong enough for sparring. Taking the sword out, however, was obviously a different matter.

'Maybe you have to perform a courageous deed?' I mused. 'Maybe then the sword will become light.'

'I hope so,' Crono muttered darkly, 'I really hope so.'

**Chapter 23 Han and the Swordsmith**

Crono, Lucca, Robo and I discovered our dilemma. We had the sword, even though it was useless. There was little point in returning it and besides, Crono might be able to use it someday. Meanwhile, there was the problem of: "How the _hell _do we get off Medina?!' We hashed it out a bit and decided to return to Herbert and Daisy's place. After showing the two imps the sword, they advised us, more or less, to seek Melchior out, as he shared mortality (as in, he was a human) with us. They told us that Melchior lived as a hermit near Heckran Cave to the west.

After that pointless interlude, we began our journey to Melchior's hut. However, something of ntoe was already happening there.

* * *

Melchior had forgotten to close his dorr long after the earthquake previously had abated. He was getting absent-minded in his old age, it seemed. He didn't notice that someone had entered his house and was now standing behind him until that someone spoke.

'Master Melchior! PLease craft me a sword!'

It was a squeaky, youthful voice. Melchior saw red. He slammed his magazine shut and turned around, his moustache bristled. The youth before him looked no older than eight. He had all the appearance of a youthful boy, but something about him was certainly enigmatic. His eyes were golden and half-closed, giving the boy a calculated, almost devious look about him. A red hood covered his hair and ears, leaving one to suppose that he was trying to hide them. The rest of his clothing was also red, making the boy appear like Little Red Riding Hood. He was carrying no basket, however. His hands were bare but the nails on them were almost like claws. This was no ordinary eight year old. For the most part he looked human but there was a disquieting feeling that one could only perceive from a particularly cunning mystic.

'What is your name, boy?' Melchior asked.

'Han.' the boy replied. 'And I'll prove my worth to you, Melchior, even if I may have to fight you!'

* * *

'Robo! Do you never get tired?' I gasped. We had walked for an hour without halt and I was marvelling at Robo's superb stamina. My legs felt slightly heavy, but no big deal, because the path cut through the inviting meadows prominent in Medina was a walk enjoyable enough. The long grass, however, was irksome to wade through for any length of time. Robo was the one who set the walking pace for all of us.

'Robots have an in-built battery,' Robo explained, 'unless recharged, robots do suffer a decrease in operation over a prolonged period of time.'

'That's cool.' I said, not understanding a word of what Robo had said. However, I thought Robo was still awesome, especially by his manner of speaking. His manners were superb.

While Robo and I were talking, I couldn't help but noitce what was happening between Crono and Lucca. The two were very close, both talking and laughing in a manner so much more intimate than how I was with Robo. He was just a robot- was it possible to get close to something not human? And yet, Robo was much closer to Lucca than he was to me, so the answer was yes. In fact, both Crono and Robo seemed more cordial with Lucca; Crono was Lucca's best friend for so many years and Lucca and repaired Robo twice. I was just a damsel in distress. Oh woe to me, how could Lucca be so popular when I wasn't?

I shook myself. This wasn't time for conflict in the group; it was probably all imagined anyway. We were supposed to save the world. We were supposed to fight Lavos, not each other. I should not harbor thoughts of jealousy and enmity towards Lucca. We should be friends. She helped save my life once. I had to be grateful!

But why was the beast within me growling when I saw Lucca? Why, why, why? What a terrible person I am!

* * *

Melchior was taken aback by the abruptness of Han's assault. The boy suddenly flew at him, hands outstretched, claws erect. With a speed that belied his girth, Melchior avoided being scored and grabbed a sword off the wall. Han turned to face him again.

'Keh!' he grunted. 'You're good sir.'

Melchior fixed Han with a stern glare. 'Why did you attack me, Han?'

'I need to be strong!' Han replied earnestly.

'Hmm...' Melchior considered what Han was saying. However, he did not loosen the grip on the sword he held. 'Who told you that I would be able to help you get stronger?'

'My half-sister Prudence.'

Melchior frowned. 'But you just barged in and started attacking me during my private...' Melchior glanced at his magazines but couldn't think of the next word.

Han bowed and merely said in his solemn way, 'I apologize.'

This definitely was no ordinary case. 'I wonder...' said Melcior softly. He approached the boy Han and examined him shrewdly. 'I wonder, Han,' he began again, 'if your name is an abbreviated form of Hanyou?'

'What do you mean, sir?' But Han's voice was quivering.

Melchior explained. 'Hanyo- the term for the offspring a human and a supernatural being. That is, a Mystic. And would I go even further and hazard a guess that you are Hanma and that one of your parents is a Diablos?' A Diablos was a Mystic that most resembles the demons from Hell. However, a Diablos claims no such malicious powers that a demon boasts. 'Mystics and humans were once the same thing, although they were called different names then. Being the Hanma of a Diablos is nothing to be ashamed of.'

Han bowed his head. 'You are right. My father was a Mystic.' He paused awkwardly, and then his eyes, those gleaming determined orbs of his, locked onto Melchior. He asked again: 'Will you teach me?'

Melchior, for the first time, considered Han's proposal. The half-mystic was obviously dogmatic; Han had to respect Melchior to a very considerable degree to go such lengths for training. What a focused kid!

'Yes, I will teach you.' Melchior declared. And for the first time, a smile crossed upon the face of Han the Hanma

* * *

A building loomed in the distance. It was well-blended in the backyard surrounded by hectares of healthy (though long) grass. Somewhere in my peripheral vision lay a range of hills, the location of Heckran Cave. Beyond these lands was the unmistakeable form of the ocean. Even from a distance, the salty scent associated with the aquatic world could be heard.

As I drew closer to the building, I could make out some features. It was no hut; it was in actuality a house from the medium-range market. It was large enough to be the home of several hermits. It was quite plain, though. There was no fancy living. The windos had nondescript curtains of a plain grey color. There was no gate or decorate front. The garden was nonexistent. The grass around the exterior had been trimmed crudely as if hacked by a sword. This was the limit of Melchior's green theumb. The shortedned grass, however, made passage to the door easier. The door, oddly enough, was ajar, and I had limited view of an interior adorned by the odd vase and paiting.

'Melchior's hut.' Robo said, reading off the dilapidated sign ten feet away from the forr. 'It seems that we have arrived.'

I pricked my ears. 'I can hear noises inside.'

* * *

'Come at me!' Melchior yelled.

Han was panting. He had not even scratched Melchior yet. The sword smith was good, especially for an old guy. He was standing cool and calm if you please, examining Han with that forever shrewd expression of his. For some reason, it annoyed Han. 'Hyaa!' He raised his claws again. He lunged at Melchior. Melchior performed a martial arts block (where he learnt this was unknown). Han was caught completely off-guard. He couldn't react quick enough when a fist came flying in his general direction.

'When you attack, always be ready for a counter-strike.' Melchior said to a winded Han. His hood had come off, revealing two stubby horns, typical of those born of a Diablos. Han also bared his teeth, which were longer and sharper than that of an ordinary child. They were more like fangs than dentures. Han resembled a demon now. Meclhior wondered whether Han had leathery wings hidden under his clothes or whether had a serpentine tail concealed on his body.

Han looked up, his golden eyes flashing with resolve.

'Again!' Melchior issured. Han got to his feet and struck once more.

* * *

'A Mystic!' I gasped. 'A Mystic attacking Melchior!'

We had entered the hut. We cane ti the lounge room only to find the unwelcome vistor. So what that we had barged in? Someone was being attacked and that was anyone's business! The assailant was a young boy who looked strangely like a Diablos. He raised his claws and seemed to hit Melchior. Lucca raised her gun. Robo aimed his laser. I fumbled for my crossbow.

Crono drew the Einlanzer.

'Oof!'

Three, no, five heads turned to look at the fallen Crono. The Diablos boy's eyes narrowed at the sight of us. Melchior was stroking his chin reflectively. This was too weird. I sighed, wondering why everything was happening at once. At least we were momentarily distacted from the Diablos boy. Had Crono refrained from drawing the Einlanzer, we would have shot down the boy, no questions asked. At least, I think I would have. I know what you're thinking: He was only a boy; why kill him for something that did not concern me?

I think that when a person is so concerned about doing right, he or she becomes blind. The corrupt government thinks its ideals are corect. people tend to draw their own conclusions. I assumed that the Diablos boy was an untrustworthy being, simply because he was a Diablos. Nobody trusts a Diablos.

But to the present, here we were with only a split second until the Diablos would be slain. Having gotten over Crono's blunder, I turned back to the Diablos and aimed directly at the fatal spot.

Only to see Melchior step in fron of the Diablos. It was a subtle act of protection, for Melchior did not appear to the least ruffled. He only gave us a very knowing look and nodded curtly. 'Ah, so you want fighting lessons too, do you now?' he asked, his bespectacled eyes gleaming oddly in my sight.

* * *

**Now for the filler chapter. This contains a few short little snippets of what is going on in 600 A.D., like we have to know. Next chapter, I may do a filler for 2300 A.D. I also quote the Bible in this filler; go figure. It's Esther 1: 6-8. I liked the description of the King Ahasuerus's feast and couldn't be bothered making up my own.**

**

* * *

**

While dramatic, heart-rending events occurred in 1000 AD; 400 years previously, several things of note were happening. Not all of them reached the annals of Guardia, but they do have relevance somehwat to the greater tale soon to unfold...

**Filler Chapter An Interlude at 600 AD **

Banta the blacksmith was tired after an exhausting day. On top of all his other blacksmith tasks such as sharpening swords, crafting horse shoes and other things, Banta had been working on his bell. It was his duty as a citizen of Guardia to complete it. Forever afterwards he would be honored for the creation of what would be known as Leene's Bell. 

He wiped his head and rested his weary arms. He would need them later. Leene's Bell lay half-completed, but very pretty. It had a metallic glint on it that gave it a very lively look. Banta loved his bell. The amount of effort he had put into it was exceedingly obvious even at this halfway stage. All the skills that the royalty did not have, Banta manipulated and here was the masterpiece that resulted from it.

Leene's Bell.

'Banta!'

'Hmm?' Banta turned around. It was a villager; one of his mates from the pub.

'The queen has returned!' the villager yelled in glee.

'Really? Isn't that old news?'

'No. They mistook someone else for her majesty and some random people rescued the real queen.'

Banta raised an eyebrow. 'Things get more confusing every day!' he noted. 'What with the bridge broken and the war with Magus going on...' he shivered. Just the name of the evil warlord freaked him out. 'Ay any rate, I'd like to meet the queen's rescuers.'

* * *

Two of the queen's rescuers had gone to the future. The third had merely swum across the distance of the British channel just to get away from the queen.

It was impossible for Frog to interpret the situation as anything but "It was my fault". Despite the fact he had saved Queen Leene's life... Frog was useless in the war. Absolutely useless. But there was more to it than that.

Never had Frog felt so isolated. He was a frog and not even human. He knew that none of the people in Guardia trusted him. There was only Leene. Poor Frog. He knew the queen was married to the king, but he also knew that Leene had a special place in his heart and if it hadn't been for the king, Frog would have courted her. These treacherous thoughts were even more treasonous in 600 AD than in 1000 AD. The idea of an inhuman attendant having an affair with the queen was truly sickening. Frog vomited at his own private thoughts.

Or maybe he vomited because of the alcohol.

'Do you really want another mug of ale?' asked the barman, examining Frog tentatively.

'I am not worthy of anything but the drink of the vine, sirrah!' Frog exclaimed, giggling weakly.

Ah, the solace of drunkeness! Frog could get lost in it and not worry the least about his woes. How lovely. No more thinking about his failures, or Leene, or the war, or Magus, or whatever else that was totally ruining his life.

'That's another 10 G.' said the barman.

* * *

'Daddy! Where are you?'

The voice echoed within the cathedral. Trembling footsteps followed this noise. Doors opened, statues were upturned, and still no sight of any living thing. All the mystics and humans had fled from the now cursed cathedral, making the search fruitless and ultimately unyielding.

'Daddy!' The voice rang out again. Yakra II smiled as he saw the carcass of his father. He did not realize that the breath of life had escaped from his father's body. 'Daddy,' Yakra junior smiled.

There was no response.

Yakra junior frowned. 'Daddy, wake up!'

His father had to be playing truant. Yakra senior had always been a cunning fellow. He had kidnapped the queen; he had even impersonated the Chancellor. Surely all these activities had tired the mystic out? Yakra junior was hungry and he wanted his father to waken in order to feed and play with him.

How long could it have taken him, this young Yakra, repeatedly calling _Daddy, _to discover that this could never be?

And would Yakra II desire vengeance in the future?

* * *

In Guardia Castle, there was a feast to celebrate the return of Queen Leene.

_There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings tied with cords to fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearls and colored stones. Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of different kinds, and royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. Drinking was by flagons, without restraint; for the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to as each one desired._

The Chancellor felt very comfortable seated again amongst the most prominent rulers of the country. He helped himself to some veal and said to the queen, 'I trust you're well, Your Majesty?'

'Thank you for asking, Chancellor.' Leene replied, smiling. 'I am well; although I wish Frog were here.'

'Frog is here in spirit.' said King Guardia XXI. The ironic thing was that Frog was currently lying in a dingy tavern in a drunken stupor. However, neither the king nor the queen was to know this.

The Chancellor spoke up. 'No one should kidnap royalty again!' he cried. 'We must impose a heavy penalty just to make sure.'

'What do you suggest?' asked the king.

The Chancellor thought for a moment, and then answered with a firm nod. 'Death.'

* * *

**End filler chapter**

* * *

Wow! Old man Melchior's pretty strong, isn't he? And he told us how to get odd Medina. I wonder, though... he seems to know a lot about the Einlanzer and that Diablos student of his is enigmatic in his own right... Next time in the Long Weekend, "Mysteries in heckran Cave"! See you soon!


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: **This story was last updated over a year ago. Right now, I will continue it but please don't explain updates to be quick at all. I will get this story done. I don't care about reviews or anything. It just needs to be done.

Also, I'm revising all my earlier chapters. My writing style now and my style a year ago are quite different and the early chapters feel very crude to me. But that's always what comes with a change of perception. Perhaps even some of the plot itself will be changed through my editing.

**Chapter 24 Mysteries in Heckran Cave**

'Allow me to explain,' Melchior sighed as he looked at my bemused face. 'My name is Melchior and this is my student Han. I know your intentions were most likely honourable, but that gives you no reason to murder a subordinate of mine.'

Han's eyes were like slits. I suddenly felt very nervous of the two people in front of me. I couldn't speak; my throat was constricted. How could I have made such a terrible mistake that Melchior and his apprentice could look at me so?

Robo reacted first. 'We are deeply sorry,' he said, bowing and almost touching the floor. 'Breaking and entering is a crime and we should have realised it.' I thought, Good old Robo.

'This may be a little awkward,' Lucca grinned sheepishly as she stepped forward, 'but can you help us, Melchior?'

Melchior paused briefly. His eyes flitted over my chest (I presumed he was looking at my pendant because he had seen it before at the Millennial Fair). Then he glanced at Crono, who was struggling to sheathe the Einlanzer. 'What do you need?' he asked.

I smiled. I was glad. I cleared my throat and began to state my business. 'I would like to know how to get off Medina,' I said, 'seeing as there is no transport between Guardia and Medina. And also, we need to know how to wield the Einlanzer.'

'You're a famous sword smith,' Crono insisted; 'you should know all about famous swords.'

A smile crossed Melchior's face: a sad smile full of irony. 'Ah, weapons; if only we could learn to use them for good – so that evil shall be vanquished.' He coughed and straightened up. 'I know of the Einlanzer. If you could train with Han and I, perhaps you would learn how to use it.'

Han swung around in alarm. 'Master Melchior…!' he began.

'Hush, Han. A sparring partner might be helpful for you; I could watched your progress better,' Melchior said.

Crono turned to Lucca and I with a thoughtful, somewhat pained expression on his face. I knew he was tempted to accept Melchior's offer. After all, it would be wise in defeating Lavos. If he could tap into the ancient power of the Einlanzer, who knew how beneficial it could be! The only problem was that Crono would be gone.

I didn't say anything. Lucca spoke for us, stating all the good reasons for Crono to get training. I merely looked at my feet and felt an odd, swirling sensation in my stomach.

'Well, then, it's decided,' Melchior said. 'The swordsman is staying with me.'

'Why do you accept us?' Roo asked curiously.

'I care very little for material gain,' Melchior explained, 'only I suspect that you have a very superficial obligation to fulfil, and that it is my duty to help you.'

Old men ramble on too long.

'Crono, Lucca, Robo and I are trying to defeat Lavos,' I said. 'Do you know anything about him?'

'What?!' That was Han. Everyone's eyes turned to him. The little Mystic continued, 'Lavos was created by the wizard Magus 400 years ago. He is hibernating now. There's now way to defeat him, if you hope to preserve the human race.'

'Hang on a minute…' said Lucca. 'Did you say Lavos was created _four hundred _years ago?'

I knew what she was thinking: Telepod; 600 A.D.; kick Magus in the ass; Lavos never created; world saved. Easy as pie.

'While you're here,' Melchior broke in suddenly, 'why don't you check out my wares? I've got a new stock of crossbows imported from Choras. You could have a look at that.'

I wondered, was Melchior trying to avoid conversation about Lavos? He certainly looked uneasy about the topic. Maybe he had some inkling of what Lavos would do, after hanging around Mystics for so long. It was a plausible theory. I shrugged; I knew what Melchior thought was probably not my business anyway.

I stepped forward to follow Melchior, who was walking towards the opening of another room. Melchior kept all of his stock in a separate room. Crono and Lucca went to follow me while Hand and Robo stayed where they were. I saw a stack of magazines on an ornate table.

Magazines? I love magazines! Prudence from Guardia castle always used to get me some magazines to pass the time in my austere life. I was an avid reader of the Poyozo Magazine and the Truce Weekly.

But what was a sword smith doing with glossy magazines? I thought they were for girls!

'Hey, Melchior,' I began, 'what're-'

Suddenly Crono gave a melodramatic shudder. 'I see the Yellow Wind!'

Yeah, television commercial there. But I said, 'That's good, isn't it? Doesn't that mean you've mastered magic?'

Melchior was listening with interest.

Lucca said, 'Wait… doesn't the Yellow Wind appear when you're about to get in a fight?'

Shit.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

That was the door. It didn't sound like a friendly neighbour popping in for a chat.

'Open up! This is a police raid!'

I didn't know there was police in Medina!

Melchior hesitated and then walked to the door anyway. I strained my neck to see the action. I figured this must have had something to do with the Einlanzer. After all, we had borrowed it without permission.

I was right. 'We received intelligence from two imps that you, Melchior, are harbouring thieves in your hut,' said the Omicrone at the door. 'You are completely surrounded. Resistance is futile. Hand over the fugitives.'

'I don't want to get involved in this,' Melchior mumbled, stepping out of the way. The Omicrone entered the hut, looked directly at me and started forward. Oh God.

But Han was in the Omicrone's way. The Omicrone, being roughly two metres taller than young Han, certainly appeared intimidating. 'Move, brat,' the Omicrone growled.

Han glanced backwards towards me. His amber eyes glinted with resolve completely uncommon in the younger generation. My respect for Han increased substantially. Han turned back to the Omicrone. 'I refuse,' he stated calmly. His horns twitched with resolve.

'It's your funeral,' said the Omicrone in a manner unbecoming of a policeman. He raised his mace.

And the Blue Wind appeared before me.

Han was in danger! But before I could do something, I saw what looked like a lightning bolt crash down from the ceiling and strike the Omicrone. It wasn't lightning like in the skies. It was a magical, targeted strike.

Crono's eyes were closed in concentration. The Omicrone, coincidentally, was dead. Ouch.

We were in a fix, though. Peering through the open doorway granted me the knowledge that there was a whole team of Omicrones just itching to take us down. I love action. 'We're going to have to fight our way out, right, Lucca?' I said, grinning.

'Right,' Lucca returned grimly as she hoisted up her gun. At that moment, I entirely forgot any jealous I harboured for her.

Robo turned to Han quickly. 'We will protect you, master Han. Stay by me and fight, if you wish.'

Han nodded.

There was no more time for talking after that. Look at the Omicrones.

Robo stood adamantly blocking the passage. Furiously, I wondered what he was doing.

An Omicrone rushed towards him menacingly. Robo was motionless, obviously confusing his apprehender. Just when the Omicrone was about to brush past Robo, a mechanical fist came flying in his general and the impact was crushing. I had never seen Robo's fighting style before and I tell you now; I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of one of his punches. His victim literally went flying. Painful.

The other Omicrones hesitated for a brief moment before coming up with a plan. To my dismay, they rushed at Robo all at once. Han gave a little squeak. But Robo was programmed not to panic, and he took a step backwards. This allowed Crono, Lucca and I to back him up.

I darted forward with a loaded crossbow. An Omicrone who had been laid reeling by one of Robo's punches was directly in my aim. One shot was enough to silence him.

Meanwhile, Lucca was back to back with Crono. She was not shooting everywhere in a frenzy but she was certainly quite roused. Every time a bullet hit a vase or became imbedded in the walls, Melchior winced, but he remained distance from the action.

Crono was using the Yellow Wind almost excessively and was looking quite drained. Why didn't he use his sword? The random yellow thunderbolts from the ceiling were not only very potentially damaging, they always seemed to miss. But they sure as heck scared the Omicrones.

How did I get this power of perception? Well, I've been in so many battles now, I feel very calm and can observe things. The Omicrones weren't putting up much of a fight, anyway. Even Han could hurt them, and he looked eight.

Suddenly, the Blue Wind came to me, blinding me. Turn around, it seemed to say. I turned around.

Crono had fainted. The idiot had used too much magic. An Omicrone saw the opening and leaped forward to take advantage of it. Lucca pointed her gun at it and squeezed the trigger.

There was no bang.

'No bullets!' Lucca moaned in dismay.

I couldn't load quickly enough to save Crono's life.

I turned to the Blue Wind. _Halt the Omicrone! _I pleaded desperately within myself.

Just as a sheet of deadly ice came pouring from my fingertips, I saw Lucca's eyes flash with fire. Quite literally, it bounded out of her, like a dog itching to leave its kennel. The fire was all-consuming, but directed only at the Omicrone.

The ice came in contact with the fire.

What came out was a black, oozy miasma. It was as terrible as fire and as soothing as water. It swallowed up the Omicrone and then it shattered, like fragments of a crystal. Then all fire, ice and shadow vanished, and the Omicrone was dead.

I looked around. There were a couple of dead Mystics but the rest had fled. I could not have thought to fight any more anyway.

'What was that?' I asked, referring to that strange mix of fire and ice that I had just seen.

Han answered, 'It was Shadow magic. When water, fire or lightning mix, it creates shadow.

I supposed Mystics knew things like this so I couldn't argue.

'Han,' said Melchior in a tired voice, 'we need to get these people off Medina. Could you show them the Vortex Point at Heckran Cave?'

'Where's Heckran Cave and what's the Vortex Point?' Crono asked, sitting up. I stared at him. I thought he had fainted.

'The Vortex Point is a place in Heckran Save which connects you to Truce Village. It's quite handy, but with such poor communications between Guardia and Medina, nobody uses it.'

'Two imps told the Mystics where we were,' Lucca said suddenly; 'Herbert and Daisy.'

I could believe it. They had betrayed us. Forgive and forget indeed!

**

* * *

**

It was around midday when we left Melchior's hut. We had been in Medina since dawn and we hadn't liked it. There was no tourist service or sightseeing facilities besides the site of the Einlanzer and perhaps Medina Square, which we had avoided. Heckran Cave was a good destination by any book. From there to Truce, and beyond!

'Goodbye!' Melchior hollered. 'And good luck!'

Crono waved. He was staying behind with Melchior to help clean up the mess, as well as to train. He would remain there until we picked him up and hopefully by then, he would have learnt to use the Einlanzer. Meanwhile, Han would guide Lucca, Robo and I to the Vortex Point and then he would go back to his friend and mentor, Melchior.

I waved myself before heading off. I was still slightly resentful over the arrangements but there was really nothing I could do. I was outvoted, you see. And I can't act like a jealous witch all the time.

That reminded me. Looking at Han, I saw how short but heroic he was. I mean, his conduct earlier had been amazing. I couldn't believe I had been moved to slay him at one point. 'Han,' I said, and he turned to me, 'I'm really sorry for pointing my crossbow at you before.'

To my surprise, Han smiled slightly, 'It's all right. I'm used to reactions like yours.'

'W-What do you mean?' asked Lucca uncertainly.

Han said nothing. I pressed him, 'Go on! You can tell us!'

'It's not of your business!' Han snapped. I flinched. 'I don't trust you completely,' he continued.

Well! He might be brave but that Han had social problems! Maybe if he was older, he'd have the girls all over his arrogant attitude, but manners were important for someone of Han's age!

I was so deep in thought I barely noticed when we reached Heckran Cave.

There were noises around me and a kerfuffle that shook me firmly from my reverie eventually. There were two Henches making a scene for us. Their pale blue armour seemed unusually bright in the darkness of the cave and I barely noticed the rocks and general spookiness for what was presently occurring.

'Death to the mystics' enemies!' was the tiresome chant.

Robo was quick with his laser. The thing about Henches was that while they wore such strong protective armour, it heavily encumbered them and they had no defence against the technology of the future. The one-sided battle took all of five seconds.

Needless to say, I was impressed. I whistled appreciatively. 'Robo, how do you do it?'

'Shh!' hissed Han. 'Not so loud in here!'

That kid! I wrinkled my nose indignantly. Perhaps I had given him too much credit earlier. I really ought to learn him. Yes, learn him. Unfortunately, he knew his way around Heckran Cave and I didn't, so I refrained from strangling him and instead asked quietly, 'Where do we go from here?'

He pointed mutely down the dim trail that trailed off into the darkness. I shivered just looking at it. However, I had faced spookier things than this in my lifetime so I just took a deep breath, puffed out my chest and walked bravely down the path.

'Have you no sense of cautiousness?' Han asked cynically.

'Oh, do shut up,' I retorted.

Long story short, we got through the caves. Our journey was uneventful so to amuse myself, I started counting things. In one room, there were forty two stalactites, four of which were bigger than me. The others were barely identifiable in the dim light. As for stalagmites, they were located in only the broader passages and I counted about twenty of those.

Geographically speaking, Heckran Cave ran underground, a cave naturally formed by water wearing away the rocks for millions of years. Of course, some of the passages had been dug out and expanded by the mystics; there was no doubt about that. The cave seemed to be lacking in any kind of ecosystem. I thought I saw a few bats here and there but they only turned out to be oddly shaped rocks. To speak sounded unnatural; the atmosphere barely encouraged whispered and I shuddered to think what shouting could do. Not that the save was silent – far from it. There was always sound: the trickling of water far away and the dripping of water from the stalactites. It indicated that at times, the passages were filled with water, probably when the tide was in.

When I got bored of examining the surroundings as they stated to get a bit repetitive after about the fiftieth chamber, I began talking aloud.

'You know, there must be reason this place is called Heckran Cave,' I mentioned.

Lucca seemed awfully glad that silence no longer reigned, even if Han didn't. 'I've read about Heckrans in books. Apparently, they're a rare type of mystic that Guardian weapons can't defeat.'

'Is that true?' Robo asked Han.

'I've never seen a Heckran,' Han admitted.

I personally thought that it was a probably a good thing to have never seen a Heckran. I mean, Heckrans sounded pretty scary and I really hoped that this cave was named after them in the same way Kitsune forest was named after foxes even though foxes in that region were extinct.

I hate being wrong, by the way. Why did I have to be wrong this time?

**Preview**

Finally, we can get back to Truce but, oh! Why is it so hard to beat this Heckran? My weapons don't work at all! Is there any way to get through?

Come on, Han , Lucca, Robo! You're the thinkers here!

Next time in the Long Weekend, It's Magic! The Way to Fight the Heckran! Don't miss this great action in the next chapter!


End file.
